Lazytowns Newest Villain
by Joker-Girl-Kelly
Summary: Stephanie goes home to Lazytown after spending 2 years in Italy. She's glad to be back, but she's changed alot and no one knows how to react. A little bit of Sporta/Steph,more Steph/Robbie in later chapters. ABANDONED!
1. Happy Birthday, Stephanie

_**I've never actually written a Fanfic before, or even written a story that was more than 1 1/2 pages long. I got the idea for this very randomly and I would appreciate creative criticism, since, well, I'm pretty new to this.**_

_**I don't own Lazytown or any of its character's. They belong to Magnus Scheving. **_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

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Chap.1: "Happy birthday, Steph"

"Happy birthday dear Stephanie… happy birthday to you." Stephanie couldn't help smiling as she blew out the 22 candles that were neatly placed around her large pink birthday cake. She looked around at all her friends, and her smile faded slightly as she noticed that there was one person who wasn't there. This particular person had been the one she wanted to see most, and she was a little disappointed that he was apparently late. _Maybe he's actually _not_ coming. I wouldn't blame him, since I was so mean to him the last time I saw him, and after what I called him… _She couldn't stop the thoughts from running through her mind, and the smile on her face slowly began to turn into a frown…

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He couldn't believe that it had been 14 years since the first time Stephanie had come to Lazytown. It hadn't taken very long after that first summer for Stephanie's mother to realize how much happier her daughter was when she was in Lazytown and for her to decide to move them there. Of course then she had been just a little girl, 8 years old. But time had flown by very quickly until the day she had turned 19 and she decided that she was going to go to college all the way in Italy. It had been tough, her leaving, and he had missed her very much. He was, however, dreading the moment when she would open the door and look into his Icelandic baby blue eyes. He simply didn't know what to expect from her.

The day before she left she had pulled him aside for a walk in the park, and told him how she felt about him all along and, in a last ditch effort to conceal his own feelings, he had wound up sounding like he thought she was childish, which wasn't at all true. She had grown into such a fine, mature, young women, and his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest every time he saw her. She had then gotten angry at him, and the last thing she had said was that he was too arrogant and image obsessed for still seeing her as a little girl. This also was not in the least bit true. She had broken his heart by leaving, and the worst part was that she had no idea that he even felt that way about her. He had written her several letters while she was away, but she hadn't written him back except for once, and then all she had said was that she couldn't wait to get back to Lazytown. She hadn't said anything specific about him at all. The reason he hadn't told her was because, of course, it would be inappropriate considering the age difference and, and the hero code which he had sworn to abide by was very strict when it came to those matters anyway. It simply would not work. All the same, he simply didn't think he could hide his feelings any longer. All these thoughts were quickly pushed aside as he finally made it to Stephanie's house and, upon ringing the door bell, prepared for the fireworks that he was so desperately hoping wouldn't come from her.

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Stephanie's heart skipped a beat when she heard the door bell ring. She dropped the partially unwrapped present that she had been opening onto the table and bolted for the front door, much to everyone else's utter surprise. She got to the door and fumbled with the knob for a second before finally opening it. It was, of course, Sportacus standing there with his blue out fit on outlining every muscular curve on his body and the two stood there for a minute in an uncomfortable silence, both of them unsure of what to do. After what seemed like an eternity, Stephanie's mother walked into the room and gave Sportacus a friendly smile.

"Hi Sportacus, I was wondering when you were going to get here." She took the pink package that was in his hand, snapping them both out of there semi-trance.

"Hello Mrs. Meanswell." He then turned to Stephanie. "Sorry I'm late. I…uh…lost track of time." He decided not to tell her about the fact that he was late because he hadn't even been sure if was going to go or not. That, he had decided, he would explain to her later. Hopefully, in private.

"Its fine, I'm just glad that you're here. "She began to feel angry towards him again. It was obvious that was just an excuse. "Besides, all you missed was the cake. I was in the middle of opening my first present when you came. Come on, we're all in the kitchen." She flashed him a smile that, although it had been forced, still made him go weak at the knees. Then she happily headed back to her friends in the kitchen.

About 2 hours later the sun was setting outside and the excitement was dying down. It was around 8:30 and everyone was heading back home so that they could get ready for work or school the next day. Of course normally Sportacus would have been in bed already, but he still needed to talk to Stephanie and he was reluctant to go anywhere until he did so. He looked out the window and noticed that there were clouds forming quite rapidly above Lazytown, foreshadowing the inevitable storm that was brewing in the sky. He needed to get back to his airship so that he could maneuver it above the clouds before any lightning started to strike. Stephanie, who had begun to clean up, must have noticed how anxious he was starting to get, because she put down the garbage bag she had been throwing wrapping paper into down and walked over to him.

"You should go before the storm comes. I don't think that crazy airship of yours would like you very much if you let it get struck by lightning." There was a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice. It was obvious that she had gained a bit of an attitude while living on her own in Italy.

"You're probably right." He decided to ignore it. "I was just hoping we could talk first."

"That depends on whether you're going to talk to me like I'm 22, not 8. And like I said, your giant blimp could get destroyed if you wait much longer."

"I hadn't meant to treat you like an 8 year old the last time, and that 'giant blimp' is my home." He replied coolly. "besides if memory serves, you used to think it was amazing that I lived in an airship."

"I did until I realized that it wasn't all _that_ amazing. It's just a giant stop watch with next to nothing in it, no doubt so that you can practice flipping around all the time. Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I've actually seen you _not_ moving."The sarcasm was perfectly obvious this time.

"Okay, now you're starting to sound like Robbie, and since we certainly don't need another one of him running around." Now it was his turn to be sarcastic. "I certainly wouldn't want you to wind up as the town villain, since I'm sure you'd do a better job than Robbie."

"Thanks."She fairly glared at him.

"Look I'll… see you later." He gave a sigh of defeat and headed for the door, half hoping she would call him back and apologize, but no such luck. He could tell from the rustling of the trash bag that she had simply gone back to cleaning. A slight chill went down his spine as he quietly walked back towards his airship. Stephanie really had sounded, and even acted a little bit like Robbie, and although the bumbling town villain was fairly harmless Sportacus couldn't bear the thought of Stephanie disliking him as much as Robbie did. He simply loved her too much for that.

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Stephanie finished with the trash bag and put it out in the trash can, then headed back in to do the dishes. She had offered to clean up since it was her party, and now her mom was relaxing in the living room.

As the water began to fill up the sink, Stephanie looked at the broken dishwasher, annoyed that it still wasn't fixed. Her mother had said that it was a waste of money to get it fixed, and that it didn't hurt anybody to do it the "regular way" anyways. Stephanie, on the other hand, thought otherwise. She thought that if they had a dishwasher, why shouldn't they be able to use it? It was quicker and more efficient. But her mother didn't seem to care, and so here she was doing the dishes in a sink full of soapy/ dirty water.

She scrubbed away at the dishes absent mindedly, her mind wandering to the conversation, if you could call It that, that she had just had with Sportacus. She couldn't believe that he was _still_ treating her like a kid. Was he really that oblivious? It didn't matter anyways as all the feelings she had for him were being shoved aside by annoyance. She chuckled slightly as she recalled the look on Sportacus' face when she had talked about him flipping around in his airship. She had said that specifically trying to sound like Robbie, so that she could mess with him, which she then realized only made her sound even more like the town villain. It was true though. He never stopped moving, and he honestly made her dizzy sometimes…_ whoa, now I'm starting to scare myself._ She thought as she finished putting the last of the dishes away,_ sounding like Robbie on purpose is one thing, but when I wind up _actually _acting like him I know I need to stop._

She shook her head and turned around to head for her bedroom, but before she made more than two steps, she tripped over a chair and landed in an awkward position on the ground. She jumped up seconds later, brushed of her dress and said "I meant to do that." This last statement was made to no one in particular and this scared her even more, as that was something that Robbie Rotten tended to do a lot. She shook her head again and headed off to her bedroom.

_**I hope I didn't make Stephanie sound too mean in this chapter. I don't want to make her sound mean at all actually, just very annoyed .Oh well. Oh yeah and I did the whole Stephanie compared to Robbie thing, was on purpose just to give you a little hint as to what's going to happen later on. Thanks for reading and oh yeah could you do me a favor please and hit that little green button at the bottom of the screen and let me know what you think? Thanks!**_

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ope you enjoy!to Magnus Scheving. eciate creative critcism, two pages long. I got the idea for this very randomly and I would a


	2. Stephanie's New Look

Chap 2:Stephanies new "look"

As expected, it stormed all through the night. By the time morning came, however, the sun was shining brightly all throughout Lazytown. In fact, it was the suns bright rays shining through Stephanie's bedroom window that awoke her. She opened her eyes and smiled as the first sound to hit her ears was that of birds chirping happily outside. This was a sound that she hadn't heard for too long a time, given the fact that she'd spent the last three years in the city of Rome, Italy. She pulled back the cover's, jumped out of her bed, and wandered out of her bedroom towards her kitchen, as her thoughts had now settled on her grumbling stomach. Her mom had apparently just woken up also (what time was it anyway? She hadn't thought to look), and she smiled at the sight of her daughter coming into the room.

"Good morning, dear. I was just thinking how nice it was going to be to have you here to eat breakfast with."

"Good morning to you to." She walked over to the cupboards. "Hmmm… how 'bout I make us some pancakes."

"That sounds nice."

Stephanie set about making the pancakes and her and her mom, who had now taken to reading the newspaper, were comfortably silent until they were finished. Stephanie set the butter, syrup, and the two plates of pancakes onto the table, and then sat down herself. Her mom, in an effort to make it less quiet, began wracking her mind for something to say.

"So Stephanie, do you have any plans for this week."

"Well, today I'm supposed to go shopping in Sunnytown with Trixie, but I'm not sure about the rest of this week."

"Do you think you'll want to see Sportacus at all? You seemed two get along ok last night." She didn't know about the conversation they had had, only that he had left rather abruptly, but she had just chalked that up to the weather and the time.

"I…don't…know really. I mean he's usually busy right, being the town hero and all. I'm sure I'll wind up with too much stuff to do anyways."

"Uh-huh." Her mother could see how her daughter had dodged the question, but decided not to say anything further in order to keep things pleasant. After all, Stephanie would only be there for a few days before she had to go back to Italy. She wanted her to be able to relax, although she might confront her later if she saw that they were avoiding each other.

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After breakfast Stephanie headed off to take a shower. It was getting close to 10:30 and Trixie had told her she would be there around 11:30. She walked over to her suitcase, which was filled with all of the cute outfits she had bought in Italy, as well as of course the pink dress outfits she sometimes, like yesterday for instance, still wore. She looked around the suitcase, shoving some clothes a side and throwing some of them out, until she finally found the outfit she was looking for. It was a Pink top with a cowl neck that came down fairly low, showing of her ample chest, and a mini skirt, along with a pair of black leather boots. Outfits like this one had become what she wore pretty much all the time, ever since one of her new friends in Italy had told her that the dresses were a bit too little girlish, to which Stephanie had honestly agreed.

She walked out of her room and into the living room, where her mom was by now watching television and folding laundry. She smiled at her mom as she looked up, fairly shocked at her daughter's apparel, along with the makeup that she was noticeably wearing.

"What?" Stephanie waved her hand in front her non responsive mother's face. "Mom, are you ok? Oh hey, there's Trixie. See you later."

Stephanie walked out the door and jumped into Trixie's car.

"Hey Trix, what's up?" She buckled herself in and waited for Trixie's response to what she was wearing.

"Wow, pinkie, that's some change in style… I like it." She smiled. "It gives more of a grown up look. No offense, but I always thought those dresses of yours were a little too babyish."

"Non taken. I figured it was time for a change."

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Trixie and Stephanie wandered fairly aimlessly along the shops in the Sunnytown mall. It was now 5:00, and they had spent most of the day weaving in and out of the shops in the mall. After about 5 or 10 minutes of window shopping, they decided to head to the food court, since they hadn't eaten lunch and were pretty hungry. Another 5 minutes later and they were sitting down to eat, Trixie with a large piece of pizza and a pop and Stephanie with some Chinese food and lemonade. They were talking about some of the stuff they had bought when a good looking guy around there age came up to their table.

"Sup ladies." He said, technically addressing both of them, but clearly checking out Stephanie.

"Um, hi, and who are you exactly?" Trixie said, clearly not interested in talking to a total stranger, especially not when said stranger was so clearly ignoring her.

"Trixie! Shut up!" Stephanie hissed, shooting her a dirty look. Then turning to the boy and putting on an all too flirtatious aura "Hi, I'm Stephanie."

"Hi, I'm Jack. That's a nice outfit you got there, Stephanie." He was staring straight at her chest.

"Why thank you Jack….Would you like to sit down?" At this Trixie, who had been glaring at her up until then, jumped up from her chair and pulled Stephanie out of hers by brute force.

"We'll be right back." Trixie forced a smile onto her face as the left Jack, who seemed slightly dumbfounded, sitting at the table.

"What the heck are you thinking, Stephanie." Trixie's eyes seemed to burn a hole right through Stephanie. "Some random guy that you don't even know comes up being a little too friendly to you, and instead of telling him to back off you act just as friendly back! Jeez girl, he was staring right at you freaken boobs for crying out loud!"

"Ok, Trix, relax, all I asked is if he wanted to sit down."

"Yeah, Steph, but he's kind of creepy if you ask me. I mean seriously, I don't know about you but I've never seen this guy before in my life!It's obvious that he's looking for one thing, and one thing _only_, and I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't you think that's a little creepy?!"

"Look I can't help if it you're jealous. And besides, it's not like I ask to come home with us or something stupid like that, I just asked him to sit down, and even you'd _have_ to admit, he is pretty hot."

"Ok, ok, ok. He is totally hot." Trixie couldn't deny her that fact. " but…wait a minute did you just call me jealous!!!!"

Stephanie just shrugged. "That's how you're acting, anyway." And with that she walked back to the table, and immediately started flirting with Jack again.

About 20 minutes later and Trixie was starting to get weary of be ignored. Stephanie and Jack had been flirting with each other the whole time, and he was _still _staring at her boobs, the pervert. And what was worse, Stephanie didn't seem to mind this attention. In fact, she seemed downright used to it.

"You know, baby, you got beautiful eyes."

"Thanks."

"OK, THAT'S IT!!! Stephanie come on, we gotta go!" Trixie burst out angrily.

"Fine, jeez take a chill pill much." Then turning back to Jack and holding out her hand. "Why don't you give me your celly number so I can call you later."

"Ok beautiful…you got a pen…ok…there."

"I'll talk to you later, Jack." She flashed him one last smile, and then walked away with Trixie.

"Celly?" Trixie asked, not entirely sure what a "celly" was.

"A cell phone, duuh."

"Oh." Trixie was so dumbfounded by Stephanies behavior that night that she didn't talk at all. That wasn't how Stephanie acted. She was cute and innocent, pink haired, sweet little Stephanie. She was not a sleazy witch, not like how she had just acted. So Trixie couldn't talk. She had plenty to say, but she tried desperately to hold it in, and she was successful. That is, she was until they made it to Stephanie's house. Then the fireworks went off because of one sentence.

"What's the matter, Trix?"

_**Sorry I kind of left it at an odd place, but I haven't figured the next part out yet. Hope you enjoyed it though!!! And again, hit the little green button and tell me what you think, please.**_


	3. Skating Thin Ice

_**Yet another chapter, and I think this one will be longer…I…was going to say something else but I seem to have forgotten. Oh well. Will you settle for more of the story instead? You will? Oh good, on with the story then. **_

Chap.3: Skating Thin Ice

"What's wrong Trix? You didn't talk to me the whole way here." Stephanie asked an already steaming Trixie. It didn't help matters that Stephanie seemed genuine. She really was oblivious to how different she had acted that night, and to why Trixie was angry.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG!? I'LL TELL YOU WHATS WRONG." She turned on Stephanie and stuck her finger in her face accusatorily. "What happened to you. How are going to go to Italy as sweet, innocent, cute yet mature pinky and come back a sleazy witch? It doesn't even make sense. That guy back the mall, Jake –"

"Jack was his name actually."

"Whatever…He was obviously bad news. And yet you were all over him, like, I don't know, some sort of hooker or something."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?"Stephanie had obviously had enough. "I'm sorry, but I'm _not _a hooker. Nor am I slutty or sleazy or a witch or whatever the heck you just called me! I'm not 19 anymore, jeez what is it with everyone it's like you all just expected me to keep my little girl cuteness forever. I talk to Sportacus and he treats me like I'm still a kid, and then he walks away before he can actually say anything that would express his _real _feelings, which I know he has them no matter how hard he tries to hide it. And then I finally get to hang out with you, who used to be my best friend, and you get jealous because some guy was paying attention to me and not you." Stephanie's eyes went wide, as she herself realized what she had just said. Maybe she had changed a little bit _too _much.

"I don't believe you."

"Trixie, I'm sooo sorry. I didn't mean that at all, it just, I don't know slipped out. You still_ are_ my best friend."

Meanwhile Sportacus, who was doing some pushups on a wall nearby, had heard the two girls screaming. He jumped of the wall and hastily jogged towards them, wondering why on earth they would be arguing. Upon approaching them, the first thing that caught his eye was, of course, Stephanie's appearance, which honestly did resemble somewhat a hooker. He found himself, naturally, checking her out. Stephanie noticed this as well and she seemed fairly pleased. I mean, after all, the mighty town hero was seemingly transfixed on the appearance of a _girl_. It took Trixie a second before she noticed, but when she did she stomped off in a huff, mumbling to herself.

"Oh god, not him too." She muttered angrily.

"What the…" Sportacus, who had noticed his stupid mistake and promptly stopped, looked after her confused.

"Stephanie, what's going on."

"She's just jea…Oh never mind. It's none of your business anyway. What are you doing here anyway Sportaego?" She smirked inwardly, as she had again said this to mess with him by sounding like Robbie.

"Ok, don't even go there, please. If you don't want to tell me, fine. I just heard you two yelling and was wondering what was going on." Before he could say anything else, his crystal beeped. "Oh…I'll see later." He shook his head as he flipped away.

"Saved by the bell. Or should I say 'beep'" Stephanie chuckled as she walked into her house. _Jeez, way to go Steph, you've been here for only one day and in that time you managed to alienate and enrage your best friend._ She thought angrily to herself.

Little did she, or Trixie, or even Sportacus know that a pair of eyes had observed that whole seen through a periscope hidden behind some bushes. Robbie Rotten had witnessed the whole thing, and he danced around with glee at the change he saw in Stephanie. She was getting increasingly annoyed with Sportacus and apparently that prank pulling girl with the pigtails. He could almost definitely use this to his advantage. Oh yes, he could, and he most definitely would. The question was, how?

It was obvious that she was messing with Sportacus. She wouldn't have acted that way towards him otherwise. But why? Why was she annoyed with him? And what was with that new "look" of hers? Whatever was with it, he liked it. Sweet little pinkie wasn't quite so sweet anymore. Obviously this was more than just annoyance causing her to_ act_ that way. _She herself_ had changed completely.

"Hmmm…What should I do with this?" He said to the metal walls of his underground lair, of course, with no response. "Everyone knows that Sportakook loves her. It's obvious. Even she must know that by now. But how can I use it against him." He paced back and forth for a minute before finally collapsing into his orange fluffy chair.

"Why can't I think of anything!?" He said as he grabbed a piece of periwinkle cake, which was sitting next to the chair, and took a big bight out of it with a fork. "He won't admit it, and that's what's making her annoyed so…"

"Wait! That's it! All I have to do is find away to get Sportakook to say he doesn't love her. Then she'll get angry and never want to see him again. He will be so upset that he'll leave town forever! HA ha ha ha ha ha!"

He walked over to his book shelf and began to look through the books: Being Evil for Dummies, no. How to make evil robot dogs, no…Robbie threw book after book of the book shelf until he finally found the one he was looking for, a book of potions and spells. He then walked over to his experiment table, and after taking throwing the carrot away and miming gagging, he began to make his concoction. Once it was finished he laughed maniacally and new creation, which had taken the form of an apple…

"This time there's no way I'll fail. It's disguise time!" He walked over to the tubes that held all of his disguises.

"Too funny" He walked past a clown costume.

"Too bunny" He walked past a pink bunny costume.

"Too loony" He walked past a moon costume.

"Too…little" He walked past a baby costume and grimaced as he realized that he seemed to have lost his touch for rhyming.

"Aha, perfect." He looked at a costume for a street vender, complete with a moustache and glasses, and twirled around as it magically appeared on his body.

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Sportacus had just gotten back from saving one of the Lazytown kids, a girl named (hmm what should I call her)… Jenny, who had gotten stuck in a tree whilst trying to save her kitten. He was heading back to his airship when a man standing outside a shop who seemed to be selling sports candy, offered him an apple.

"Well…Thank you sir, but I don't have any money." Sportacus said politely.

"Oh forget about money. It's free of charge"

"Oh, well, alright." Sportacus, reluctantly took the apple from him and examined it as he was slightly suspicious. Then, upon finding nothing wrong with it that he could see, he bit into the apple. He grimaced, as the apple tasted slightly odd, but before he could do anything about it his crystal began to beep and flash.

"Uh...I have to go. Thank you for the apple." He said hurriedly as he flipped away, coincidentally toward Stephanie's house.

Upon Reaching Stephanie's house, he was horrified to see smoke emanating from it. He could hear Stephanie's voice inside, desperately calling for help. The smoke was thick and he knew that if he went inside he wouldn't be able to see anything, but he also knew that he couldn't stay out there, as it was obvious that they were stuck somewhere in the blaze.

He plunged into the house, looking around desperately hoping to see Stephanie and her mother together somewhere in the house. He could still hear Stephanie's voice, faintly calling for help, and then he heard coughs coming from the same direction. His eyes stung and his lungs were burning and he wasn't sure if he was even heading into the right room, or for that matter, what room he was in anyways. He looked around frantically, until he finally caught a glimpse of pink huddled in the corner of what seemed to be the kitchen. He hurried over, avoiding bits of burning wood and other debris, and picked up her shaking body bridal style. Then he hurried back outside in front of the house, where the fire trucks were by now, trying control the flames. He set Stephanie down on the ground where several firemen came over to help her, and was about to head back in to get her mother when, luckily, he saw her car pull up on the other side of the street. Marie Meanswell hurried out of the car and stared at the scene before her.

"OH MY…WHERE IS STEPHANIE? IS SHE OK? DID SHE GET OUT? Heavens, please don't tell me she's…" The questions came flooding out of the women's mouth as tears began to form in her eyes.

"It's alright, Mrs. Meanswell. Stephanie's fine, she got out. She in haled a lot of smoke, I'm sure. But she's got no burns that I could tell." He walked over to the women, who was now in shock, and gently led her over to where Stephanie was, now in an ambulance hooked up to an oxygen tank to help clear her lungs.

"She's got some burns that could be pretty bad, possibly third degree even, and some bruises and scratches and we need to take her to the hospital in Sunnytown. Poor things in shock too, which is understandable. But I'm sure she'll be ok. Is there anyone here who can go with her in the ambulance?"

"Uh…Yes. I will." Mrs. Meanswell said, a dazed look on her face. The medic helped her in the truck, and was about to close the doors when Stephanie, who had been halfway unconscious, suddenly shot straight upright and said "NO.I have to talk to Sportacus first. PLEASE, let me talk to him."

"Alright, alright, just relax and please lay back down." The medic said in a slightly frustrated manner as he let Sportacus into the ambulance.

"Yes, Steph, what is it." Sportacus said in a gentle, comforting tone, trying to help her relax, if only a little.

"Before they take me anywhere, I want to know something, and no dodging it or running away this time. Answer me, or I won't let them take me anywhere."

"I…ok" He gave in, concerned for her health.

"I…I love you. I always have, and I think I always will. And I want to know right now: do you love me back? I know you do, I just want you to tell me yourself."

"Stephanie, please they have to get you to a hospital. Your badly burned and—"

"Please, just answer. If you do I will let them do whatever they have to. Just answer truthfully. Please." She pleaded with him. She knew that he did. She just didn't know why he wouldn't tell her.

"I…I…" Sportacus knew it was true, he did love her, or at least he _had_ loved her. But, for some reason as he looked into her pretty chocolate brown eyes, he felt only the kind of care that he felt for all the people he saved, not love. "I…don't…love…you. I'm really sorry." And with that, he jumped out of the back of the ambulance and watched as they closed the doors, with Stephanie simply staring dazedly into the same spot. _He doesn't love me…yes he does. I can see it in his eyes. He's lying. He doesn't want to tell me because I'm too young for him. I don't believe him. _The thoughts raced through her mind as she resisted the medics absent mindedly. The seen around her began to fade as she heard the medics talking.

"I think these burns are worse than we originally thought."

"Her blood pressure is sky rocketing."

"What the… we need to get this girl a sedative."

"She may not be able to handle it."

"I know, but I can't do anything while she keeps resisting us…"

_Beep… beep... beep… beep…beep._ The last thing she heard was the beeping of the heart monitor as it began to beep faster and faster and faster…

_**Ok so yeah, this chapter is definitely longer. I like how it turned out though…Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree…I love Christmas. Hehehe… anyways I hope you like this chapter. The next one is in progress…**__****_


	4. Rejected

Chap. 4: Rejected

Stephanie's mother stared dazedly into space in the waiting room of the Sunnytown hospital emergency room. She had been waiting to hear news of her daughter for over an hour now, and she was getting more and more worried by the minute. She hadn't understood any of things that the paramedics had said, as most of it was medical jargon, but she didn't have to in order to understand that her daughter was not in good shape. Suddenly, the door to the waiting room opened and she looked up expecting to see her brother in law Milford Meanswell and his wife Bessie walking in, but instead she saw someone she wasn't expecting.

Sportacus walked into the waiting room, hoping to see if there was any news on Stephanie's condition. It had taken the better part of an hour to get the fire under control, but once the firemen finally got it put out and Sportacus was not longer needed, he had gone back to his airship. It had been around 8:15 by then, but he had been too upset to go to bed. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about what she had told him._ I love you. I always will_ her voice replayed over and over again in his head, even as he'd jumped into the pilot seat of his air ship and headed for Sunnytown._ Why did you tell her that…Stupid, stupid, stupid._ He continued to beat himself up as he walked into the waiting room.

"Sportacus...hi" Mrs. Meanswell looked at him confused "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Lazytown helping the firemen?"

"The fire's already been put out. Thankfully it didn't spread to any of the other houses. How's Stephanie?" He said, sitting down next to her.

"I don't know. They haven't told me anything yet."

"Oh, well, I'm sure she'll be alright. Oh…" He stood back up again as a doctor entered the room.

"Marie Meanswell?" He asked, looking at Stephanie's mother.

"Yes?"She said anxiously as she too stood up.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Gramenz. Can I talk to you in private, please?"

"Of course." She followed him into a hallway and looked at him expectantly.

"How is she."

"She's going to be alright. As I'm sure you already know, she was burned pretty badly. She's in a sort of coma right now-"

"Oh, no." The Mrs. Meanswell said, barely above a whisper.

"Like I said, she'll be alright." Dr. Gramenz responded quickly. "It seems to be just her way of responding to all of the chaos that was going on around her at the time It was too much for her to handle all at once, so her brain just shut down. She'll come out of it when her body's ready, but until then there's nothing we can do except wait." There were some other things that he needed to talk to her about, but he decided that they could way for later, given how shaky and worried she was.

"I…okay. Can I see her." She wanted to ask more questions, but knew that it probably wouldn't help her understand it anymore than she already did.

"Sure, she's down the hall, in room 210. I'm sorry, will you excuse me."A female voice came over the loud speakers, paging him to another room, and he walked off down the hall in the opposite direction no doubt to tend to another patient, and Mrs. Meanswell walked into her daughter's room. A nurse was there, doing various tasks with the medical equipment that Stephanie was hooked up too. She sat down and looked at her daughter, whose cheeks were red and slightly shiny from the sweat dripping down on them. _I'm so glad your okay, dear._ She thought to herself. _I honestly don't know what I would do without you._

_~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

Back in Lazytown, Robbie Rotten smiled as he pulled off his firemen's costume in his underground lair. After he had gotten Sportacus to eat the apple he had rushed back to his lair for a costume change. There had been no way on earth he was going to miss that. However, as he ate the piece of cake that he decided was his reward for a job well done, he felt a slight twinge of guilt. After all, Stephanie had been in a fire that had probably destroyed her entire home, and he knew that he hadn't made things any better by influencing Sportacus with his potion and making him feel like he _didn't_ love her. He quickly threw these thoughts out of his head, scolding himself for thinking them in the first place. He was the villain, after all, and his plan had worked. He should feel proud not guilty. And besides it wasn't like he started the fire. He shook his head as all these thoughts got pushed aside by a new plan that would blow his last one out of the water. If could get Sportacus' feeling's to actually change, if only temporarily, than he could only imagine what he could do to Stephanie.

He jumped up abruptly, throwing his cake, which landed somewhere behind him, and then headed back over to his potions book. He flipped through it looking for the concoction that he wanted, the one that would make Stephanie evil, or at the very least make her think more like him. He flipped through the pages, rather violently, until he finally got to the one he wanted. He began to put his concoction together, picking up one vile off of his experiment table after another, until finally he held up the finished product. The apple in his hand was big, red, and juicy, and he knew exactly how to get her to eat it.

"I'M A GENIUS!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed maniacally, knowing that this was going to be his best plan yet.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_What time is it? I'm so tired._ Sportacus thought as he began to make his way, only half awake, towards his airship. He had wanted to wait for Stephanie's mother to come back into the waiting room so he could ask her how she was, but it was late and he couldn't wait any longer. He had to fly his airship back above Lazytown, and then he needed to get some sleep. _Oh well. I guess I'll just have to wait for tomorrow to find out about Stephanie._ He wanted to go back in and beg the nurse at the reception desk to let him see her, but he knew she wouldn't and that he had other things to do. _The last thing the mayor needs is for the hero of his town to be sleep deprived and out of it. I wonder how he's dealing with all of this anyways…_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Milford Meanswell was in bed, trying to sleep, but he simply couldn't with all the questions running through his mind. How had the fire started? How was his niece? How was his sister? Where had Sportacus gone off too? He hadn't seen Sportacus since around 8:00 that night, when he had flipped off to his air ship and then flown off to somewhere. He hadn't paid much attention; he had been too busy talking to the firemen to see if they knew how the fire got started. He hadn't even noticed that the airship that was usually hovering somewhere above the town hall was gone until he'd gone home and Bessie had come out to him panicking, asking numerous questions about what was going on and if everything was ok and why had Sportacus suddenly flown away without telling anyone where he was going. He had wanted to go to the hospital right then but Bessie wouldn't let him saying it would be best to wait and go in the morning. As he finally drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were of hoping that he would wake up and that it would all be just a dream…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Of course, that's what everyone wanted, but no one could change things no matter how much they wanted to. Mrs. Meanswell woke up the next morning from a restless sleep. She was still in the chair next to Stephanie's bed, and she had fallen asleep with her head resting right next to her daughters. She looked up groggily to see that nothing had changed, and that her daughter was still in a coma. She stretched and began to stroke her daughter's hair. The nurse that had been there last night walked into the room again, and seemed somewhat surprised to see the very out of sorts woman still sitting there with her daughter.

"I'm sorry to disturb you ma'am."The nurse said politely. "I have to change her bandages."

"It's fine." The nurse went about doing just that in silence until she was getting ready to leave the room and Stephanie's mother decided abruptly to ask her a question that she had been pondering for a long time.

"Excuse me, but the doctor said she's in some sort of coma. I just want to know, if I talk to her, could she hear me?" The nurse looked at her with pity and said. "I don't know. It's possible. People in coma's do tend to come out of it faster if you talk to them."

"Oh, well, thank you." The nurse nodded, and then walked out, and Mrs. Meanswell looked at her daughter hopefully.

"If you can hear me, than I hope this will help you come to sooner. If not, well no harm done anyways…" She paused, wondering if her daughter could or would actually respond, but nothing happened. She sighed and continued.

"I love you so much. When I pulled up to the house and saw the smoke I… I thought you were in there and I almost had a panic attack. You and your uncle… are all I've got. It's been that way ever since your father died when you were only 6. Do you remember him? I'm sure that it's a subject you'd rather forget altogether. There are times when I would too, but I can't. I loved him more than you could even imagine. I still do." Tears began to form in her eyes. "Please, dear, come out of this soon. Please…"

She looked to see a man coming in with a basket full of fruit. The man didn't say anything, just set the basket down on a table and walked away. There was a note attached to the basket, and Mrs. Meanswell took it off. She knew that she probably should have left it for Stephanie to read, but she was too curious as to who could've sent her daughter something so soon. She was just about to read it when she heard a faint noise coming from Stephanie.

"Mm…mom." Stephanie's chocolate brown eyes opened. "I do remember daddy."

"Oh Stephanie, dear, your awake. Oh, thank god. What is it that you said?"

"I do remember daddy. I loved…love him too. I couldn't forget him even I tried…Where am I? Why are my arms and cheeks burning so bad?"

"Oh my, don't you remember. There was, uh, a fire. You were burned pretty badly."Her mother said gently.

"I member being in an ambulance…It's kinda fuzzy though. I dun member anything else." She said groggily. "Smells like fresh fruit in here. I'm kinda hungry." Mrs. Meanswell couldn't help chuckling at this.

"Is that the _first_ thing that comes to mind, dear?"She laughed lightly. "I think I should get a doctor before we do anything else, ok?" Stephanie gave her a slight nod, and she walked out of the room and down to the nurses station.

10 minutes later and the doctor was there, checking Stephanie out and making sure she was alright. He checked her vital signs on the monitors and making sure that there wasn't any kind of brain damage that had somehow been done, but he couldn't find anything wrong other than the fact that she couldn't seem to remember much.

"It's temporary I'm sure."Dr. Gramenz assured them. "Give it a little while and I'm sure something will jog her memory."

"Uuumm, doctor, what happened exactly. I remember being in an ambulance and a whole lot of chaos before that, it's kind of fuzzy but…well everything after I got in the ambulance is a blank."

"Your brain basically shut down _because_ it was so chaotic. Your body didn't know how to handle it all, so it just gave up temporarily."

"Oh, I see." She really didn't understand at all, but she was too confused to ask any more questions. "Um, I'm kind of hungry. Can I have that apple in the basket over there?"

"Sure." Her mother took the apple out of the basket (strange, apples were her daughter's favorite fruit, and yet Sportacus had only put one in the basket. Wouldn't he have known they were her favorite?), and handed it to her daughter.

"Hmm, it tastes kind of odd. Who's this from?" She said pointing at the basket.

"Well there's a note here… It says 'I know how much you love sports candy. I hope you get better soon.' It's from Sportacus—"

"Sportacus…" She gagged and threw the apple across the room into a waist basket. " I don't believe him. He totally rejects me, and then he has the nerve to try and be _nice_ to me? You can throw his gross fruit away. I don't want it." She practically growled and the machines she was hooked up too, particularly the heart monitor, went berserk. The look in her eyes startled her mother. It was a look of pure hatred. It was a look that her mother had never seen before.

"What in the world?" Mrs. Meanswell mumbled as the doctors swarmed around her, trying to figure out what was happening. "This is going to be a very…interesting week."

_**I just noticed how overly dramatic this story is so far. Trust me, the drama won't last forever…I don't particularly like too much drama. As a matter of fact, things should start to get very interesting and funny after this, considering how fast Robbie's potions are taking effect… This is also a very long chapter.**_

_**Meanwhile, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. (Well, that is if you celebrate Christmas. If not well…Merry Christmas anyway)**__****_


	5. Rejected, pt2

Chap.5: Rejected pt.2

The nurses continued to work frantically around Stephanie, trying to figure out why her body had suddenly gone into overdrive for no apparent reason. The machines around her beeped loudly and obnoxiously as the 22 year olds blood pressure and heart rate soared off the charts. The doctors were about to sedate her in a last ditch effort to calm her down, but before they could even get to a sedative the need for one ceased. The activity on the monitors abruptly calmed down, and Stephanie's heart rate swiftly went back to the slow steady rhythm of before. The doctors looked at each other, slightly puzzled at how abruptly these changes had taken place.

Stephanie on the other hand was still shaking slightly. She had closed her eyes and was taking deep breaths, trying to keep herself relaxed. Once she felt like she had fully regained her composure she opened her eyes to find everyone in the room, her mother included, giving her odd looks. She looked around and smiled nervously.

"Hehe, uh, sorry?" She was blushing, but thankfully no one could tell since her cheeks were already red from the burns on them.

Dr. Gramenz looked around and noticed that all his nurses had practically froze in place, and were staring at the pink one curiously.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat purposefully, startling everyone in the room. A few of the nurse jumped and knocked over some of the machines; however, he had done his job. Most of the nurses scurried out of the crowded room, while only two remained to fix the machines and check that everything really _was_ back to normal. Dr. Gramenz asked Stephanie's mother if she would talk with him privately, and she said she would after she talked to her daughter for a moment.

"What on earth was that all about? I don't think I've ever seen you get _that _angry before."

"I…don't…know. When you said Sporta…" She could feel her blood begin to boil again, although she wasn't sure why. Sadness was a feeling she would have understood, because Sportacus had been there all along, been almost like a dad to her. She wasn't entirely sure when those feelings had changed and she had fallen in love, but somewhere along the line they had, and he had broken her heart the night before in the ambulance by lying and saying he didn't feel the same way. But anger, border line hatred, where feelings that she wasn't even sure she was capable of towards him. And yet there the feelings were, bubbling up inside her every time she thought about him. "…When you said his name I just felt incredibly angry towards him."

"Oh dear. I know what he said in the ambulance." Her mother said gently. "What was that about? Is that why you feel angry towards him?"

"Yes…I mean no…I mean, why don't you just go talk to the doctor." Stephanie said through gritted teeth.

"Dear, it's not good for you to keep all this bottled up, and then explode like that. Please tell me what's going on."

"Mom, it's none of your business." She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm not a teenager anymore. I stayed in Italy for 4 years on my own. I can take care of myself, alright mom?" She managed a reassuring smile.

"I… alright." Mrs. Meanswell got up and walked out of the room to talk with the doctor in the hallway.

_Oh great, now she's starting to sound just like _him_. What does he have, some sort of elf telepathy and now he's controlling her._ She couldn't help chuckling slightly at this thought. Her mind then settled onto her stomach, which was by now begging her for food. _I'm in the mood for something sweet._ _Darn it. Too bad I'm in a hospital._ _I hope the food won't taste too awful. At least it I know they'll be healthy._ She tried to convince herself that was a good thing, and hoped her mother wouldn't take too long with the doctor so that she could ask him if she could eat…Then her mind began to wander again _I haven't seen Ziggy, Pixel, or Stingy since my birthday party. I wonder what they've been up to. And Trixie, I haven't seen her since… Oh no, she's probably avoiding me. I wouldn't blame her, since I acted like a total witch to her. I hope I can get her to talk to me so I can let her know how sorry I am._

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

As it turned out, Stephanie would get a chance to do just that the very next day. The doctor had, reluctantly, allowed them to visit her. However, he was only allowing them in one by one, so as not to over crowd the room. He had been reluctant because he wasn't entirely convinced that she was alright, since so much had happened to her in the period of little more than 24 hours. But at the same time she seemed remarkably alright, very strong and aware of her surroundings, which was very unusual for someone who had just come out of a coma. So now he stood in the corner of the room, keeping a sharp eye on all of the monitors she was hooked up to, making sure that everything remained in as it should be.

"Hi Stephanie." Stingy was first. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. I mean, considering everything that's happened." She smiled.

"I have…something for you." He sighed and held up the flowers in his hand. "They're pink Carnations. I thought you might like them." The young miser reluctantly gave them to her.

"Thank you Stingy, that's very thoughtful of you." She flashed him another smile. _Wow, he's changed quite a bit. He actually just gave these to me, without Trixie threatening him. _He walked out and Pixel walked in.

"Hey, Steph, are ya feelin better?" Pixel smiled. He had grown into a handsome man, athletic and strong like Sportacus, despite his obsession with computers. This was thanks to Sportacus actually; he had been the one to get Pixel so excited about football, which is why Pixel had become so masculine and athletic.

"Hi, Pixel. I feel much better actually." She gave him a big smile, and he suddenly remembered a time when they were still teenagers and his heart had fluttered when she smiled at him. He had always had a crush on Stephanie, and they had even dated for a while, but in the end she had broken up with him saying she really only saw him as a friend. He was okay with this, and they had since become very close, like brother and sister.

"I'm glad; last I heard about you was that you were in some sort of coma. I have something for you too." He took out a sort of hand held video game. "I thought you might get kind of bored here in the hospital all day, especially since you're usually so active, and that you might like _something_ to keep you occupied."

"Thanks Pixel, but you don't have to give it to me, really. I'm hoping that I won't be here that long anyway." She didn't mention it, but she was pretty sure that they were getting kind of old for video games anyway. But of course, she would never say that out loud.

"Well, take it anyways. It's got a whole bunch of sports games on it, including your favorite game, soccer."

"Hehe…" She giggled. "You know me all too well. Thanks, Pixel. See ya later?"

"Hopeful, you'll be back in Lazytown when I do, then I can go back to beating your butt at sports."

"In your dreams." A smile crossed both of their faces as he leaned in and hugged her, then he walked out and Ziggy came in.

"Hi Stephanie!" Ziggy hadn't changed at all really. He was still obsessed with sweets though, oddly enough, he had grown tall and was very skinny. He was only 16 now, and he was still always hyper. "I can't believe what happened! Are you ok!?"

"Uuuh…Yes Ziggy, I'm ok." Strange, she normally thought that Ziggys overly hyper manner was cute and funny, but now she thought it was just plain annoying.

"I got you some chocolates! Here." He handed her a large box of chocolates.

"Uuuuhh…Thanks Ziggy. I'll talk to you later."

"Ok! I hope you feel better Stephanie!"He walked out and Stephanie felt relieved to be rid of him so quickly.

That is, she felt relieved until she saw Trixie walk reluctantly into the room, pushed by Ziggy and Stingy.

"Hi" Stephanie managed a smile. "I was hoping to get to talk to you."

"Yeah, well, I'm here so talk." Trixie said in an annoyed manner.

"Trix, I'm sorry. I acted like a total witch, and I shouldn't have been so mean to you."

"No, you shouldn't have."

"Look, I'm trying to apologize here." Stephanie wasn't used to people truly being mad at her. "Do you have to be so mean?"

"Hey, it's your fault we had a fight, not mine."

"I _know_ whose fault it is, Trixie, and I…" She took a deep breath and started over. "I'm not gonna fight with you ok. I don't want to lose you as my friend. I was stupid, and I know it. That's all there is too it. If you're going to just start shutting me out because of it, then maybe you weren't that good a friend in the first place." Stephanie's eyes went wide again. "OMGIdidn'tmeanthatTrixieI'msorryitjust—"

"Slipped out again, huh?" Trixie said, venom coating her voice.

"Yeah."

"Seriously Steph, why don't you just go back to Italy, cause I doubt any one here is going to put up with you for very long. I know I'm sure as heck not going to." She began to leave. Stephanie, forgetting about all the wires hooking her up to the machines, tried to get up and go after her. She knocked over several machines, and broke several of the wires in the process. The doctor, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, sprang to life and jumped forward to stop her. It was too late, however, as Stephanie tripped over all the wires and fell to the floor.

"I meant to do that!" She exclaimed as she got up and fixed her out of sorts hospital gown. She started to run forward, realizing that she was no longer connected to any wires, only to trip over a table and fall again.

"Uuuh, that too." She said. Trixie, who had turned around when she heard Stephanie get up, was laughing her head off.

"You sound just like Robbie Rotten and, to be honest, it suites your new attitude quite nicely. See you around Robbiette" She left the room, laughing as she went, leaving behind a slightly confused Stephanie. Robbie Rotten? Trixie was seriously comparing her to Robbie Rotten? Had she really been that mean? She just shrugged it off as Trixie being mad, and looked over at the doctor, who seemed very angry with her by now.

"Back in the bed. Now." He said sternly, and she obeyed. _I really hope I get out of her soon _she thought as the doctor went to get some nurses so he could hook her back up to all the machines…

_**I think this is my favorite chapter so far. It's also the funniest. I hope you enjoyed it.:) Let me know by hitting the button please!**_


	6. Such is Life

Chap.6: Such is life

Two more days went by and Stephanie was getting exasperated. She was only there for that week, and then she was supposed to go back to Italy, but the way things were going it didn't even look like she would be out of the hospital by then. The doctor wouldn't let her out because of her burns. They really were bad, covering much of her body, and they didn't seem to be getting much better anytime soon. They hadn't bothered her much for the first few days, but now they were burning like crazy. It was so bad that Stephanie was sure her body was _actually _on fire. It was now Thursday morning; Stephanie was getting more upset by the minute. Her burns were driving her nuts, and she wanted comfort food, but the doctor wouldn't let her have the chocolates that Ziggy had given her. Now Dr. Gramenz was standing right in front of her, at the end of her bed, while she yelled at him for not letting her leave or do any of the things that she wanted.

"Look, you know how bad your burns are. I really shouldn't allow you to leave until they show some noticeable improvement, which they haven't yet. I'm sorry." He said in an annoyingly calm manner.

"Well then why can't I at least have some of those chocolates, I mean what harm can that do? Seriously doc, this isn't cool." Stephanie shook her head.

"Your body's working overtime to heal itself, the last thing you need is a box full of candies. You need food that's going to give you _more _energy, not food that's going to make you crash."

"Now you sound like Sporta-…-healthy." She giggled. "Look, how much longer do I have to stay here?"

"If you promise to relax and do exactly what I say for the rest of the day today, I'll let you go tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine." She said, crossing her arms. "I'm going to call my mother." The doctor walked out, obviously more frustrated than he was letting on, and Stephanie picked up the phone that was sitting on a table next to her bed. It rang a few times, then her mother's soft soothing voice came over the receiver.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey mom."

"_Oh hi dear. What's going on?"_

"Well, I talked the doctor into letting me out tomorrow."

"_Really? That's gr…wait you _talked _him into it, that doesn't sound exactly good."_ Her mother's tone was suspicious.

"Mom, I don't think he would agree to let me out unless he thought I was ready. He can't keep me here forever. Besides, I'm going out of my mind here, and this hospital food is honestly disgusting."

"_You're just saying that because you want Chocolate."_

"No…"

"…"

"Cake wouldn't be bad either."She laughed.

"…"

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"_Nothing you just don't sound like yourself. The Stephanie that I remember would have _preferred_ the healthy hospital food to cake and chocolate."_

"Oh…Well, I'm fine mom. Like I said I'm just going out of my mind here in this hospital room alone all day."

"_Are you sure?"_

"Yeah, mom, I'm sure…Um, hey, what would you say if I told you that I wasn't going to go back to Italy?"

"_I…would say you're honestly insane. Now you really don't sound like yourself. Why don't you want to go back?"_

"Because, I've already spent most of my time here stuck in the hospital."

"_Well, don't make any split second decisions. You had said you wanted to finish your last year. Don't change your mind on my account."_

"It's not on your account necessarily mom, our house just burned down, and it would be wrong to go back."

"_I'm staying with your aunt and uncle dear; you know that Milford and Bessie don't mind, you don't need to stay here."_

"Yeah, well, such is life mom. It's my decision, not yours. I'm not a teenager anymore, remember? I'm staying here and that's final."

"_I…Oh dear. All right, if you're sure. I'll talk to you later Stephanie. I love you."_

"Love ya too, mom. Bye."

"_Bye." _ Stephanie hung up the phone and looked up just in time to see none other than Robbie Rotten, emerging from the corner of the room where he had been quietly hiding.

"Robbie Rotten?...What the heck are _you _ doing here?" Stephanie said spitefully. The last person she wanted to see right now was Robbie Rotten. Robbie reminded her of Sporta-ego, and that was someone she was having very mixed feelings for right now.

"What kind of a greeting is that? I saw your house burn down and I just wanted to come…" He hesitated.

"See if I was alright?" Stephanie smirked.

"…"

"Oh come on admit it."

"Alright, fine, I admit it. Even _I_ wanted to make sure you were ok. I would have come sooner, but I wanted to make sure that no one else was here when I visited. I had to lie to the nurse and tell her you were my little sister as it is."

"You? My big brother? Oh yeah, the resemblance is striking." Robbie was taken aback by Stephanie's sarcasm.

"I'm impressed. Your obviously not the same sweet, prefect, disgustingly cute pink cheerleader that left here 4 years ago."

"Aaawww, and I was trying so hard to hide it."

"Look, Stephy—"

"It's Stephanie, you idiot. You think you would have figured out all of our names by now."

"Whatever pinky I…Look, I got you some cake." He held up a plate with a huge piece of chocolate cake on it. "It's triple fudge chocolate."

"MMMMM!..Wait how could you have known that I wanted cake?" Robbie smiled inwardly. His potion was working perfectly. The part of her brain that was just like him: cake-loving, lazy,and rotten, was being awakened. This was sooooo great. She was changing, and yet, she was still herself.

"Oh I just had a hunch."

"Oh, well, I guess I better eat it quick before one of those pesky nurses comes in and takes it away from me. The doctor is being so strict about this whole 'no sweets' thing."

"I know all doctors are like that."

"Stupid doctors and there overly healthy hospital food." They both said simultaneously. Robbie smiled, but Stephanie shook her head.

"That was entirely too weird."

"What? So you think a little like me. Don't get your panties in a bunch kid."

"But I'm nothing like you. I'm almost the exact opposite."

"Are you sure about that?" He smirked, gesturing towards the the plate that had held the insanely large piece of cake. She had practically swallowed it whole.

"So I wanted something sweet. I'm still nothing like you. I'm healthy and active, and _nice_. Your lazy, unhealthy, and _rotten. _ There's a very big difference."

"…"

"Just leave, ok Robbie."

"You could at least say thank you, you little pink demon."

"If I say thank you, will you leave?"  
"Maybe."

"Good bye, Robbie." She said frustratedly.

"What are you gonna do, jump up and get me. Your all tangled up in those wires. But if you want Sporta-kook to have to come and save you, then by all means get up." This got her attention, and Robbie knew it.

"Sporta…cus can go die for all I care. I no longer give a darn."

"Oh really? What happened?"

"It's none of your business!" Stephanie growled as the machines she was hooked up too started to act up again.

"Whoa now, take it easy there big girl. I didn't mean to make you upset." He said with fake sweetness in his voice.

"Look, I don't care about Sporta-dork and I don't care about you, so get out."  
"Sporta-dork? Are you sure we're nothing alike?"

"Positive"

"Oh because it sure sounds like you're _a lot_ like me." He shrugged. "Oh well, such is life, right?" He smiled mischievously, then he walked out of the room.

"I do kind of sound like Robbie, but that's not saying much since I'm being _forced_ to be lazy here in this hospital room." She shook her head.

"Oh great, now I'm talking to myself? I _can't wait_ to get out of here." She sighed as a nurse walked into the room to change her bandages.

"_Again_?"

"Yes ma'am, again. Sorry."

"Whatever, just get it over with lady…"

_**I just noticed how fast I'm writing this. It's kind of weird, because like I said, I've never really written anything before. Haha. Anyways here's yet another chapter, with Steph/Robbie, if only a little bit. I'm not real sure about this chapter, so let me know how you liked it. (member the little green button?)**_


	7. Money, mula, caching

Chap.7: Home is where the…hurt is?

True to his word, Dr. Gramenz released Stephanie the very next day. A smile curved at the tips of her mouth as her mother wheeled her out of the hospital. Finally she could relax with no more nurses bugging her and no more doctors watching her every move and, best of all, no more gross hospital food. Even if she couldn't _actually _go _home_, getting out of the hospital all together was great. She sighed as her mother put the wheel chair away.

"You know, the stupid wheel chair was entirely pointless. I could just as easily have _walked_ out here."

"I know, but it's just how hospitals do things."

"Yeah well, I think it's silly. I mean, if you just spent some 3 or 4 days in the hospital doing nothing but laying in bed, wouldn't you want to walk out on your own."

"Actually no, I think I would want to just let them do things they way they always do them. It's not worth arguing over, Steph." Mrs. Meanswell took on an annoyed yet motherly tone. "You should be happy, you're out of the hospital and you can relax now."

"I know, I know, I am happy to be out of the hospital. And your right I guess, it's not really worth arguing about. I'm just really tired of the way hospitals do things."

"It's a hospital, dear, full of doctors and nurses. They're trained to annoy you." She smiled at Stephanie, who started laughing as she got in the car.

"So, since for some reason no one's bothered to tell me yet, is…there anything, ya know, left of our house."

"Well, it was a pretty big fire, but the house did somehow manage to stay standing. I don't know if there's anything left of the inside; I had asked the firemen if we would be able to go in, but I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Oh…" They lapsed into a comfortable silence until they got to the mayors house and were welcomed into the open arms of Milford and Bessie.

"Oh, Stephanie, I'm so glad to see you out of that hospital. You looked so miserable in that hospital bed." Bessie smiled as she hugged her niece.

"Oh I was, aunt Bessie." Bessie noticed that her niece seemed slightly distracted, but decided not to say anything about it since neither her mother nor Milford seemed to have noticed.

"You know, I'm just curious as to how the fire started." Her mother said innocently. "The firemen told me that it most likely started in the kitchen, but they weren't sure how."

"Oh…Mom I…I'm sorry." Stephanie looked at her mother guiltily, as though she was about to confess to some huge crime.

"What? Why are you sorry, it's not like the fire was your faul—"

"Umm…well it kind of was. I was baking a cake and I went into my bedroom and I was thinking about…" She was about to say she was thinking about Sportacus, but stopped herself just in time. "I was just thinking about some things that had happened and I got upset and started crying and then I fell asleep and then when I woke up I smelled the smoke and I went into the kitchen in a panic because I knew _exactly _where the smoke was coming from and stupid, stupid, _stupid_ me I opened up the oven to take out the cake instead of calling the fire department and then I felt this huge wave of heat and then before I could do anything else the flames were just all around me and I can't believe it because I didn't even think it was possible to start a cake by burning a fire…I mean start a fire by burning a cake and…Oh I'm just sorry alright. It was my stupid, dumb mistake and I'm sorry." It all came pouring out of her mouth in what seemed like one long endless sentence, and she started shaking like crazy as tears started to run down her cheeks. _Oh wow Steph, your 22 years old and your crying. That's real mature. I can see why Sportacus still sees you as a kid…no. Don't think like that. Your house just burned down, you have every right to be upset. _She argued with herself in her mind.

Meanwhile, her aunt, uncle, and mother stared at her dumbfounded by her slightly rant like confession. Finally her mother, driven by her maternal senses which had just kicked into over drive, walked over and hugged her daughter comfortingly.

"Sssh, don't cry baby girl, it's alright."

"No it's not alright." She pushed away from her mother. "I made a stupid mistake and now our house is gone. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me now." She knew she was acting childish but she couldn't stop herself.

"Don't be ridiculous, dear. You're my daughter and you know that I could never hate you."

"…"Stephanie stood there, sobbing quietly. She had been bottling all of this up from the moment she had come too in the hospital 4 days earlier, and now she couldn't seem to stop herself from crying because of how guilty she felt.

"Ssshh, no more crying, okay? Forget about the fire. It's over and done with. We'll just have to find somewhere else to live, okay?"

"Mom…Where on earth are you gonna find the money for that?"

"Well…I don't know. But I'll…_we'll _find a way. You said you're staying her, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you know why now."Tears were still dripping down her cheeks, but she had managed to stop sobbing. "I couldn't go back to Italy knowing that I was leaving you behind to clean up my mess. I mean, you couldn't stay with aunt Bessie and uncle Milford forever."

"That's true, but even if you do go back I'm sure I'd find a way."

"No. No 'even ifs'. I'm staying and that's final. It's just a dance school, right? I've learned enough to be a small time dance performer if nothing else. But I don't think I'd be able to concentrate anyways knowing that you'd be back here searching for a new house with not nearly enough money for a proper one. Besides, I already called the school and told them that they can give my spot to some other lucky girl."

"Well, if you were gone, it would just be me. It's not like I've got anyone else to share it with." She smiled. "So it's not like I need a huge house anyways."

"Hmmm, that's a very good point, but still." The tears had long since dried up and she forced a smile. "I mean, it's not _only _a new house that we'll need. We've lost everything and, come to think of it, we're going to need new clothes, not to mention the fact that all of our jewelry is gone. The medicines you were taking are gone, it's going to be a fortune just to go to the doctor to get all those new prescriptions, never mind paying for all of them at once. And _my _medical bills, they'll be insane I'm sure. I mean put it all together—"

"Stephanie, shutup." Her mother said, annoyed at her daughters over anxiousness. "Relax. It's not quite as bad as you think, alright. I have…some money saved up. Quite a bit of money, come to think of it, and I've been saving it in case of just such an occasion."

"Money…Mom how much money."

"Oh, enough money."

"_Mother _how much money is _enough_ money."

"Oh I don't know, it's been sometime since I've even _thought _of that bank account." Her mother replied in a calm and almost incoherent manner.

"MOTHER! I want to know right now, how much money are we talking about here? Are you telling me that I worried about all this for nothing? That I gave a way my position at the school FOR NOTHING!"

"Well…I guess maybe you did."

"MOTHER HOW MUCH!" Stephanie was mad, and it wasn't helping that her mother seemed so perfectly calm about it all.

"Well…I…Last time I checked it was when you were 10 and we moved here and there was about…uuuhhh…3 million.

"…" Stephanie just stared at her mother in disbelief. _3 million dollars. Dang, after 12 years who knows how much there is now._

"Well, I did warn you dear, not to make any split second decisions."

"SPLIT SECOND DECISIONS. I thought I was staying here because she needed me too. Because it would be wrong to leave my mother here to have to pay to get all of that back and that I should stay her and help and get a job and pay for insurance and a new house and all that stuff. I even call my school and tell them to give my spot to someone else. I should have just gone back. NO WAIT I should have just stayed in Italy. I should have just stayed there and finished school and then gone to New York and done Broadway shows, just like everyone told me to. Heck, I shouldn't even be here. I should be living a millionaire's lifestyle in a mansion surrounded by hot guys out side by a pool. I DON'T BELIEVE THIS. We're rich and she doesn't even tell me. She just hides all that _money_ waiting for a disaster to strike. We could pay for all that stuff and we'd still be rich._ I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" _

Again, her mother, aunt, and uncle just stared at her, dumbfounded by her rant that started with her being mad because she was guilty for nothing and went on to pretty much nothing.

"MOTHER." She lunged at her mother. "I don't believe you. How could you hide something like that. I mean, for heaven's sake, we're _millionaires_!"

"I _know _that dear. The reason I didn't tell you is because I didn't want you to grow to be a spoiled little rich girl. I put it away and took some out now and then when it was needed. We were always happy the way things were, so I didn't think it would matter. I mean, jeez if your father had been alive and it have been up to him he would have taken all of the money from his company and…Oh no, oh no, oh no, I shouldn't have said that." She face-palmed her forehead. "I _should not_ have said that. Just forget I said anything alright."

"What about daddy? He owned a company of some sort? Oh to heck with it, I don't care. Mom, we're going to go to the bank _right now_ and we are going to take out a large withdrawal and then…And then you and I both are going to go shopping at the mall. No if, ands, buts, or excuses. You hid this from me for too long, now you owe me. BIG TIME!"

"I…but…wecan'tjust… Oh alright fine. I suppose I really do owe you. I should have at least _told _you about it, even if I wasn't going to use any of it. But I want you to know that I'm doing this under _extreme _protest. Just because you're out of the hospital doesn't mean much, you still have a lot of burns and you need time to recover. But then again, you _are _22 years old, I suppose I can't really stop you."

"Now _that's _more like it." Stephanie latched arms with her mother and practically dragged her back out to the car. _This is going to be fun. Just me, my mother, and who knows how much money. Wait till I tell Trixie about this. She'll forget all about hating me and she'll probably freak out. And Pixel, I could do any number of things with him. I could even take him to Tokyo in Japan. He always wanted to go there because of all the technology. This is so great, this changes everything…But I wonder where all the money is coming from. Who was my dad _really_. I remember him going off on business trips all the time but I never knew what they were all about…This is _definitely _something I need to find out more about…_

_**Ok, so, I basically made this chapter up as I went along. I honestly didn't even know that I was going to make her a millionaire until I got about half way through this chapter, but I think it works sooo…**_


	8. Shop, Shop, Shop til ya Drop, Drop, Drop

* * *

Chap.8: Shop, shop, shop till ya drop, drop, drop

They rode to the bank in complete silence, with Stephanie staring out the window, too dumbfound and mad at her mother to speak. She had wanted to drive, but her mother wouldn't let her, saying that she shouldn't even be going anywhere in the first place, being that she was _just _out of the hospital that very morning. She pulled into the parking lot, parked right in front of the doors, turned off the car, and sighed.

"Stephanie?"

"What mom?" Stephanie wasn't really in the mood for talking.

"I really _am _sorry, dear. I shouldn't have kept such a large secret from you. You had a right to know long before now."

"Yeah mom, I did. I mean, seriously, you didn't want to spoil me? That doesn't even make sense. You could have at least _told _me. I mean a person can _know _if they have money and not be spoiled. This is just silly."

"I…" Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but knew that her daughter was absolutely right, even if she was being uncharacteristically blunt about it. Instead she got out of the car and walked inside with Stephanie.

There was hardly anyone in the bank, and they walked straight up to the counter.

"Hello." The friendly woman behind the counter greeted them.

"Hi, we're looking to withdraw some money."

"Alright, may I have your name please?"

"Uuuhh…" She glanced sideways at Stephanie and sighed thinking _she's going to find out sooner or later. Might as well make it sooner._ "Isabella Jacobs." She answered finally, receiving the expected odd look from her daughter.

"Who's that, exactly?"

"Sssh" Mrs. Meanswell hissed. "Isabella Jacobs." She repeated to the lady.

"Uh, ok." The woman hesitantly typed something into her computer and made a face.

"Oh, is something wrong. I haven't touched this account in so long…" Mrs. Meanswell said quickly.

"Well no, not exactly Mrs. Jacobs. It's just as you said, this account hasn't been touched in a _very _long time… Oh my, how _much _are you going to take out?" The woman's eyes went wide in a very unprofessional manner. "I'm sorry, ma'am, It's just I didn't know we had anyone with this much money using our bank."

"Yes, well, like I said I haven't touched this account in a _very long_time." Mrs. Meanswell was blushing slightly.

"_Mother_, relax." Stephanie rolled her eyes, and then turned to the woman behind the counter. "How much money is there?"

"Uuumm…$350 million dollars as of right now. Money seems to be added to the account every month. Quite a bit of money, from some company in Europe called—"

"THATSENOUGH…I mean, thank you, why don't you just take out…"

"$150 thousand!" Stephanie burst without thinking.

"Uuhh, yeah sure, why not? Take out that amount for us and we'll be on our way." The woman hesitated again, and Mrs. Meanswell knew that technically she shouldn't have given the money to such suspicious customers. But she also knew from experience that the lady certainly wasn't going to deny them the money either, in case her suspicions were wrong, and she really was dealing with two very rich people… _Does it bring back memories Mary? _A voice in the back of her head asked her. _Do you remember what it was like to be able to flaunt your money and power? Haven't you missed how power full money can make you? Of course you have. And now your daughter gets to experience that too. Only now it's more money, much more money. You kept this from her for so long so she wouldn't wind up like you did, and now it's all going to go to waste._She did remember quite well how powerfull money can make her…no. That was the past, this is the present.

"Mom, I swear, this is insane. Seriously, where the hell is all this money coming from?" Mrs. Meanswell was pulled back to reality as she watched her daughter thumb through a huge stack of bills.

"Well…I…Look you don't need to know anything, alright. Just that your father was a very successful business man and that that's why there's money still being added to the account."

"Mom, please stop lying to me. What kind of business man was daddy? What did he do? What's with the company in Europe? And what's with the fake name that the account is under? You've really intrigued me now, I really wanna know."

"Look, it's none of your business, alright. Now shall we go shopping, or what?" Her mother's pleasant tone was forced.

"Uuuhh, yeah, but first there someone else we need to go pick up." Stephanie wanted to know more about all of this, but she couldn't help thinking about Trixie. She had all this money, and now there was only one thing on her mind: shopping spree. But, no shopping spree would be complete without her best friend to share it with.

"I thought you and Trixie weren't talking."

"Correction, she's not talking to me, mom. And how'd you know I meant her."

"Who else would you want to go shopping with when you have _all_ _this_ money? How do you plan to get her to even open the door?" This question made Stephanie have to think, and she was quiet for several minutes.

"I guess I'll just tell her I'm sorry and that I want to take her shopping. I know she's always been a bit of a tomboy, but even _she _can't pass up a shopping spree…Whoa!" They were at Trixie's house by now, and Stephanie felt a sudden wave of dizziness as she got out of the car.

"Oh, dear!" Her mother rushed to get out of the car so that she could catch her stumbling daughter. "Stephanie, what's wrong, are you alright?"

"I…I'm fine mom. Just a little dizzy all of the sudden." She leaned against the car for a moment then stood up. "It's okay mom, I'm alright."

"Are you sure, because if you feel weak, we should really go home. Or, better yet, the hospital." The concern in her mother's voice was more than evident.

"No, mom, I'm fine. _Really_, I'll be okay." She smiled reassuringly. She wasn't sure what the sudden dizzy spell was all about, but she was fine now, that's all that mattered.

"Oh, well, alright. I suppose you should go get Trixie." She was skeptical as to whether or not Stephanie was _actually _alright, but she wasn't sure that she could change her daughters mind, considering how hard headed and stubborn she was being lately. She watched as her daughter walked up to Trixie's door and knocked.

"Hello?" Trixie's mom came to the door. "Oh Stephanie, hi, how are you!" She smiled as she hugged her daughter's best friend. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"I know, I've been at college for the past four years and then I was in the hospital..."

"Oh, yes, Trixie told me about the fire. I'm glad, you seem to be alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine, odd as it may seem, although my burns still hurt sometimes. Is Trixie home?"

"Yes, she's here… Trixie!" She yelled for her daughter.

"Yeah mom, what's up…Oh, what are _you _doing her, Robbiette." She said spitefully. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital still?"

"Nice, Trix, is that all you have to say? And yeah I probably should be, but I managed to argue and fuss my way out. Dr. Gramenz and the nurses probably wanted to be rid of me anyway." She smiled, and in turn saw a smile tug at her friend's lips too.

"What do you want, Pinkie?"

"Well, I have some money here and I was just thinking we could go on a little shopping spree…Oh don't worry, if we run out there's _plenty _more where this came from."

"…" Trixie looked at the large stack of bills in Stephanie's hand, completely speechless, which was very rare for her. Finally she spoke. "How…What…Where did you get that money?"

"Don't know really, just know that I'm apparently some sort of heiress to a fortune and a company. Don't even know the name of it. Mom won't tell me. Don't know why. Doesn't matter, really. All that matters is that I'm worth millions. Hundreds of millions. _$350 million_ to be exact. So, you coming or not, Trix?"

"So you're and heiress with a millions of dollars and all you can think to do is go to the mall? Dressed as sleazy as you are now?"

"Well, what else would you suggest I do with it, since my house just burned down and all my clothes are gone. And you're sure one to talk about clothing? What exactly are you wearing, anywhoo?" She looked Trixie up and down, noticing that she was wearing a very grungy and ripped pair of jeans with a t-shirt that was equally as grungy with guitars and skulls on it. She was also wearing a pair of black shoes that looked like she'd been wearing them forever. "At least I _look _like I have money." Trixie didn't notice the slight smile on Stephanie's face.

"I…Touché, Pinkie. I suppose since you've got the money…" She turned to go change.

"No, Trix, that's not what I meant at all." Stephanie laughed. "I was only joking. Come on, let's go." She said enthusiastically.

"Oh I…Ok…Oh Steph, you look awfully pale. Are you alright."

"What? Oh I'm fine Trix. I just haven't eaten much since this morning when I had breakfast and it's like…"

"Five 'o clock as of right now." Trixie's mother said, smiling.

"Yeah, it's five now. I guess we'll just have to get some dinner first." Stephanie forced a smile. _First I get dizzy for no reason and now Trixie tells me I'm pale and I _am_ starting to feel a little weak. Maybe I should tell mom…NO, if I tell mom, she'll send me right back to the hospital. I'll be fine, I just need to eat, I'm sure of it. _She thought to herself. _Yes that's it, I'll be fine as soon as I get something to eat… _Now why couldn't she seem to convince herself that this was true?

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Meanwhile close by, hidden in the bushes in Trixe's front yard, Robben Rotten watched through his periscope as Stephanie and Trixie got in the car with Mrs. Meanswell, laughing and talking.

"Darn, that pink demon made up with the prank pulling rocker chick. This could be a problem for me if I'm going to turn her into my co-villain. Oh well, I'll just have to go to plan B." He said with a shrug. "Besides if I'm right, and I usually am, Sporta-kook is about to mess up big time, and then we'll see just how much she loves him…"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Uuumm…How about we get some pizza at the food court." Trixie said, gesturing towards the food court in the mall.

"Mmm, pizza sounds good." Stephanie said with a smile. "What about you mom?"

"Oh, I'm not really hungry, I had a late lunch. I think I'm going to go on ahead so that I can start shopping."

"All right mom, how about we meet you back at the mall entrance at…8:00?"

"Okay." Her mother smiled then walked off towards a clothing store.

Stephanie and Trixie sat down with their pizzas and started talking about what stores they were going to go to.

"There's a lot of stores that I've always wanted to go to, but never had the money. This is going to be a blast." Stephanie said enthusiastically.

"I know, same here."

"So what's up with them letting you out of the hospital so quickly? I mean I would have thought you'd be in there for much, much, longer than that… I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm certainly glad you're out, it's just…"

"I know, I was kind of surprised too. I mean, I had _wanted_ to get out but, I just didn't think it would be that fast."

"Oh, yeah, there's another question I've been curious to know the answer to: what was with the whole clumsy-Robbiette thing. I mean, you tripping over all those wires and then the chair and you really did remind me of him."

"Oh…I…don't know really, uh, let's go alright. I can't wait to start shopping." Stephanie said hurriedly. As she stood up to throw her garbage away, she started to feel dizzy again. _What on earth…Why do I feel so dizzy… _She shook her head as her and Trixie walked off towards a particularly fancy and expensive clothing store.

"You still look kind of pail, Pinkie, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah I'm alright…I'm great actually, I mean I'm sitting here with more money than I dreamed I'd ever have in, like, ever, and it's my choice of where to spend it all… As for being pail, beats me why I am; I feel perfectly fine." She was lying through her teeth…She no longer cared about the money, or going shopping. _What is wrong with me. I feel horrible and…since when can I lie _without _stuttering._ Stephanie abruptly realized that she was actually lying quite easily, which was something that she normally didn't do at all, since whenever she did outright lie she wound up stuttering and could barely even talk.

"Oh, ok." Trixie said distractedly, already looking through one of the clothing wracks at the store they were in. Stephanie joined her, looking through a wrack of particularly sleazy looking clothes, trying to take her mind off of her lightheadedness. _Maybe I can get Sportacus' attention with these out fits. After all, even pride can't blind him to a girl dressed sexily in a micro mini skirt and a blouse that shows of her ample cleavage, right?_ She saw Trixie looking curiously at her.

"Seriously pinkie, since when do you where such slutty outfits? I mean, no offence, but sheesh you gotta leave _something _to the imagination."

"Haha" Stephanie laughed at Trixie's bluntness. "I've got something…special planned. I'm trying to make someone jealous…"

"Oh, I see, in other words your trying to seduce Sportacus."

"No…It's not Sportacus. How can you just _assume _that it is?!" Stephanie was ready for a fight this time, momentarily forgetting about her lightheadedness.

"It's obvious. The guys way older than all of us Steph, you need to move on…Ok, ok, sorry that was mean but still. Dressing like a slut isn't going to help matters."

"Says you." Stephanie didn't say anything else as a wave of dizziness hit her once again, and this she fell to the floor as she also started to feel nauseous.

"Steph?" Trixie turned around from the clothing she was looking at. "STEPHANIE!" She rushed over to her friend, realizing immediately that she was barely conscious. She jumped up and ran to the lady at the checkout counter.

"Call an ambulance, quick!"

"What? Why?" the lady responded calmly.

"Just do it, please, my friend just collapsed and she's barely even conscious!"

"Oh, ok." The lady didn't seem to care one bit, but Trixie ignored this as she rushed back over to Stephanie's side. "Stay awake Steph, please, there's an ambulance on the way." She shook her friend desperately trying to keep her awake, not sure of what would happen if she did lose consciousness, but it was no use. People started to gather around the two women, curious as to what was going on, and the last conscious thought Stephanie had as she watched Trixie shoo them away was _Wow, she really is a good friend._

_**Sorry I haven't posted in well over a week. School's started back up again obviously, so it will probably be longer between posts now… I hope you liked this chapter. I know there's not a whole lot of Robbie in this story yet, but that will change very quickly, so don't worry. Leave reviews!!!**_


	9. Reality Check

_**Ok, so, sorry I took so long to post again. I'm ADD, so I tend to lose interest in some things very abruptly and randomly…And then I got myself grounded for like forever and a day… Don't worry though; I have no intention of abandoning this story… In fact, I'm going to attempt to write another chapter right now…**_

Chap. 9: Reality check

It took the ambulance some 5-10 minutes to get to the Mall in Sunnytown, and then another 5 just to get through the mall to where Stephanie lie unconscious. When they finally did get there, a very frustrated Trixie started yelling at them.

"Couldn't you have gotten here sooner?! We called like 15 minutes ago!"

"I'm sorry miss; it wasn't easy to get through all the traffic…"

"Oh, whatever just help her. She's been looking pale since she came and got me about an hour ago, and she got dizzy too about half an hour ago…She got dizzy again, come to think of it, not long before she fainted."

"What are all these burns from?"

"She was in a huge fire not more than 4 days ago."

"Oh, well, she should still be in the hospital. These are bad burns; they might even be the reason why she fainted."

"Hmmm…I had a feeling."

"Does she have anyone that could with her in the ambulance?"

"Yes…No…I don't know where her mother is. I'm her best friend though, could I go with her?"

"Are you over 18?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Alright then, come with us…But we'll need to call her mom as soon as possible.

"Of course."

The paramedics lifted Stephanie's small, light frame onto the stretcher quite easily, and were headed out of the hospital in no time. Trixie watched helplessly as the paramedics swarmed around her best friend in the ambulance… _I thought they had let her out too early. _She thought, _I think I'm gonna have to have a little _chat_ with Dr. Gramenz once I make sure Steph's alright._

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_10 minutes earlier…_

Mary Meanswell couldn't believe what she was doing. She had basically ignored the fact that they were rich since before Stephanie could even seem to remember, and now here she was, shopping in a store with incredibly over priced clothing again…_ Just like all those years ago when Jacob was alive. I can't believe I let this happen. I didn't want Stephanie to know about this. I wanted her to grow up like a normal child, she didn't have to know about the fact that she's…_ she stopped herself from even thinking it and sighed… _And now she's bound to find out… Oh dear, oh dear, what _am _I going to do about this…_ She sighed as she looked at a dress that looked like it belonged on a fashion model in a foreign country. _Sheesh, who in their right mind would pay two-hundred dollars for a dress, _She sighed again, _that's it, I'm going to a different store…Oh my!_

She was pulled abruptly out of her thoughts by a team of paramedics that came flying past the entrance to the store, nearly trampling her in the process. She watched them hustle over to the escalator, walking up it instead of waiting behind all the other people on it of course, and she realized that they seemed to be headed towards the food court. _Oh no, the girls… I knew something wasn't right the moment Stephanie told me she felt dizzy._ She began to run after the paramedics, hoping that she was wrong and that it wasn't Stephanie they were going for, but knowing that it probably was.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Trixie couldn't believe what was happening…

Stephanie was still lying unconscious on the stretcher as the paramedics swarmed around her, but they didn't seem to be going anywhere fast. None of the cars were even trying to get out of the way; though they were supposed to, they simply weren't letting the ambulance through. _Sheesh, we really need to get a hospital in Lazytown… At least there I know people would _let _the ambulance through. _Finally after an agonizingly long and frustrating ride, they made it to the hospital, and Trixie was left in the waiting room as the paramedics hustled Stephanie back into the Emergency Room. She sighed as she felt in her pocket for her cell phone… _Dang it, I must have left it at home. I really need to get to a phone… Steph's mom is probably still shopping at the mall. She probably has no clue that Steph's been hospitalized again…_ Trixie got up and walked over to the nurse's desk.

"Excuse me, is there a phone I can use, I really need to get a hold of somebody."

"Sure, hon. What's the numbuh?" Strangely, the nurse had a New Yorker accent. _A New Yorker…Here…That's odd._ She shrugged it off as she told the nurse the number and was handed the phone.

"_Hello." _Mrs. Meanswell's voice hinted at the fact that she was pretty winded, and slightly panicked.

"Hey, Mrs. M, it's Trixie…I have some… bad news."

"_I think I already know…Stephanie's back at the hospital, right?" _

"Yep… She's in the E.R. right now. How'd you know?"

"_I almost got trampled by the medics hustling by. I figured it was Steph, since they seemed to be headed in your direction."_

"Oh…"

"_Well, I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Alright, bye." She hung the phone, and sighed. _I really hope Steph is alright… I wonder if I could talk to the doctor. I want to give him a piece of my mind for letting her out to early._

"Uh, excuse me?" She got the nurses attention behind the desk. "Could I possibly speak to Dr. Gramenz?" The nurse gave her an odd look.

"No, sorry. He ain't here today." Trixie returned the confused look.

"Ummm, how could a doctor _not _be here? Seriously, you've got to be kidding me. Who's going to take care of my friend then?" As far as Trixie knew, although this was a very big hospital, they didn't have very many doctors to begin with. The nurse sighed, getting impatient.

"He took off today for his daughtuh's birthday. Dr. Cartuh will be takin' care of your friend."

"Dr. Carter? I don't think I've heard of him before." Trixie mumbled as she walked over to sit down. She sighed as she started looking through her purse looking for some gum. _Purse, _she snickered at the label Stephanie had put on the bag that Trixie carried around, _more like a dance bag than a purse… Huh, figures. _She thought as she pulled out her cell phone. _Guess I was in too much of a hurry to notice it was in here. _She turned it on, taking note of the fact that it was now almost 6:30 P.M. _Wow, hard to believe all of that happened in just an hour and a half. _She looked up to see Stephanie's mother walking into the waiting room, looking panicked and very out of sorts.

"Any news yet?" She asked worriedly.

"No, sorry. I have a feeling it'll be awhile."

"Oh, great." Mrs. Meanswell said sarcastically as she sat down next to Trixie. "Oh, can I use your phone, dear. I need to call Stephanie's uncle and let him know what's happening."

"Alright, here." Trixie handed her the phone and Mrs. Meanswell walked back out of the room to call her brother. _I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a _very _long night…_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Stephanie opened her eyes groggily and looked around. She had no clue where she was and she didn't really remember what had happened, at least not all that well, but she felt too weak and tired to be confused. At first she didn't see anyone in the room with her, but as her head began to clear she noticed that her mother was sitting next to her…_ Of course. Just like last time._ Mrs. Meanswell was sleeping; restlessly, as she was tossing and turning uncomfortably in her chair, but still sleeping. Stephanie yawned, _what time is it?…What day is it for that matter?… Why am I back in this horrible place?_ She sighed. _I guess I'll just have to wait to find out…Jeez, how long was I out for? I'm starving. Maybe I should wake mom up…_ She looked over at her mother. It didn't seem right somehow, to wake up her mother knowing that she probably hadn't gotten much sleep anyways, but she found herself not caring for some strange reason.

"Mom?" She heard her mother mumble something in her sleep, shaking her from her contemplations of why she didn't care among other things. "Mom, are you alright?" Her mother woke with a start.

"I…I…Oh, Stephanie, you're awake." She blinked at her daughter, seemingly bewildered at the fact that her daughter had actually come back down to earth. "Are you…ok, I mean… I should go get Dr. Carter."

"Dr. Carter? I thought it was Dr. Gramenz? Oh, well, never mind. Jeez, I'm starving, mom, how long was I out?"

"I…A couple of days, sweetie, I'm not sure how long."

"You don't know how long?..."

"I've been here almost the whole time, waiting for you to wake up; I haven't exactly been paying attention to how long it's been." She sounded more absent minded than annoyed. "I'm going to get the doctor." And with that she got up and left the room, leaving Stephanie in a slightly bewildered and frustrated state, completely helpless on the hospital bed. _Sheesh, déjà vu much… I _don't _want a repeat of last time, that's for sure. _She sighed as she waited for her mother to return. _All the doc's going to do is check me out a thousand times over and then give some kind of disgusting hospital food._ Not exactly déjà vu…She didn't remember thinking about the healthy hospital food as being disgusting. Something had changed between then and now, though she wasn't sure what, and she didn't have any time to ponder this as the doctor came in and began to check her out, just as she had suspected.

"Oh, enough of this!" She growled in frustration. "I'm perfectly fine thank you very much, except for the fact that I'm starving." Dr. Carter, a fairly young woman, probably only 28-29 years old, looked at her slightly shocked.

"No, I'm afraid that you are most certainly _not _fine. Quite the opposite actually; you were out for a good 5 days. You should _not _have been let out so quickly the last time, and I do _not _intend to make the same mistake that Dr. Gramenz made. In fact, I intend to make his mistake known to him, and to make sure that it is a _very _long time before he is a loud to treat a patient again." She said gravely.

"I doubt you can do much better…You can't be too much older than me." Stephanie said, snickering slightly. Dr. Carter gave her an annoyed look.

"Alright, smart aleck, I'll get you something to eat, and _then _I will continue to run tests on you… _Whether you like it or not." _She walked out of the room, returning only moments later with a plate of…something resembling spaghetti. She set it down in front of Stephanie, who took the fork on it and eagerly ate some, then blanched slightly at how it tasted. The doctor looked at her a shook her head knowingly.

"Well, you obviously don't like it, but you'll live." She shook her head again. "I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" She walked out of the room and Stephanie looked at her mother.

"You can leave if you want mom…"

"Oh, but I-"

"No, mom, go home and get some rest. I'll be fine."

"I…alright. Good bye dear." She kissed Stephanie on her cheek, then left the room, once again leaving Stephanie alone to her thoughts… _So much of this doesn't make sense… Well, I'm stuck now I suppose… Why don't I seem to care about any of this. I don't even feel really guilty anymore about burning down the house… I mean, reality check Steph, you're in the hospital again because you got horribly burned in a fire that you caused which burned down the home that you spent most of your childhood life in… I'm so confused. _She sighed again, feeling trapped, frustrated, and hopelessly helpless…

_**Sorry, I left it at an odd place, but I haven't figured out the next part yet. Happy Valentine's day to all, I hope you had someone to share it with**__****__** I'll post…soon, hopefully, but I'm not making any promises. Reviews might prompt me to post sooner, though…**__****_


	10. How the Mighty Have Fallen

Chap. 10: How the mighty have fallen

Stephanie lay quietly in her hospital bed, staring off into space while thinking about a number of things. It had now been a full week and a half since she had woken up from her coma, which she had since been told was because some of her burns had gotten infected and she probably had some sort of virus, although she didn't quite understand how her dizziness and a sickly pailness tied into her burns. She didn't really care though; what they told her had been mostly technical babble anyways. She didn't get a whole lot of visits since, obviously, most everyone who would visit her was at work during the day. Either that or they were running some sort of errands. The only people she had seen, besides doctors and nurses, were Pixel, her aunt and uncle, and her mother; they had all gone to see her 2 days after she woke up. They had all brought her some very pretty flowers, which were now sitting on a table next to her bed (the nurses did an amazing job of keeping them alive and healthy), and Pixel had also brought her another video game.

She didn't have much time to play it though; she was constantly being wheeled in and out of the room so they could run more tests to see what was going on with her burns, and then when she wasn't being tested on there was usually some overly perky nurse in the room treating her burns. She hadn't even bothered to ask when she would actually get out; with all the tests and work they were doing on here she was _not _optimistic.

So there she sat, 11:00 a.m. on Saturday at one of the few times that she was actually left alone, wondering if anyone would visit her today. _No, they're probably busy… I'll bet Trixie's out with Stingy, since they don't get a lot of time together. Maybe they'll come later… I just hope _somebody _comes. If I have to spend another day seeing no one but these stupid perky nurses and that know-it-all doctor, I think I'm going to scream…_

"Hey, honey. How are ya feelin'?" Stephanie sighed in mild annoyance as a nurse walked into the room. She actually didn't mind this one. She was an older southern woman named Annie who had grown up on a farm and, unlike the other nurses, she didn't feign perkiness. The pink one had actually _asked _if she could have this nurse, as much was as possible.

"As good as someone can feel, I suppose, when there in the hospital and covered from head to toe in horrible burns… A little better, actually." The nurse nodded her head knowingly.

"Well, that's certainly better n' nothin'." She smiled genuinely at Stephanie.

"Yeah, I guess so… So, how am I _actually _doing? Am I getting any better?" Stephanie asked, doubtfully.

"Yes, actually, your burns are beginin' to heal. I wouldn't git your hopes up though, hon, cause it's gonna be a long while 'fore you get outta heah."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed as much." Stephanie sighed ruefully as the nurse bustled about around her, taking off bandages and inspecting the burns before replacing the bandages. _I wonder what _he _is doing right now. Oh, I hope he doesn't decide to come and visit me…_

_~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

_He_ was, of course, Sportacus, and he was not intending to visit her at that moment. On the contrary, Sportacus was too busy to even be thinking about Stephanie at that particular moment. His crystal was beeping like mad, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He knew that it was Stephanie's mother, that much his crystal could tell him, but he couldn't seem to figure out where she was or what kind of trouble she was in. Finally he went to the last place he thought she would be; in the burned and barely standing house that used to be her home. She was screaming for help at the top of her lungs, and it didn't take long for Sportacus to find her hanging from a hole in the floor where it had caved in on the third story of the large house. He managed, somehow, to make it up the stairs to the second floor safely, but the steps caved in before he could get any further. He was about to jump his way up to the floor she was hanging from, hoping to catch before she fell, but stopped when he heard the floor beneath him creaking. Obviously the wood was charred and weak, and it probably would give out if he did what he usually did.

"Crap…" He sighed in frustration. He couldn't go get anyone to help, nor could he go back to his airship to get anything; he was quickly running out of time. He knew that, if she fell, she would most likely fall straight through the wood on the first and second floors and down to the basement, and there was no telling what kind of injuries she could receive if this happened. He looked at his surrounding's carefully, trying to find something that he could use to help her, but he could see nothing. He looked up as he heard the cracking of wood, and saw that one of the boards that Mrs. Meanswell had been holding on to had just broken off.

"No, no, no, dang it!" He began to feel almost panicky as he realized that there really was nothing he could do to help. This had only happened to him before once or twice, and he had no clue how he was going to get out of this one. Finally, against his better judgment, he decided that he had no choice but to take a chance; he had to jump and get a hold of her before she fell.

In one swift movement he jumped up, grabbed on to some of the boards from where the floor had collapsed, pulled himself up, and reached for Mrs. Meanswell's out stretched hand. He almost had her, he came oh so close, but it was not close enough. She fell from the floor and down through the two wooden floors below that and into the concrete basement. Sportacus looked away as he heard the cracking of what he hoped was, in fact, _only_ the week wooden boards. He didn't waste any time in seeing if she was alright; instead, he walked back out of the house as quickly and carefully as he could, and ran at full speed towards the Mayor's house.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_10:30 a.m._

Robbie sat in his layer, contemplating how he was going to carry out his plans now that his new villain-in-training was back in the hospital. This was, of course, only a minor glitch. He would simply have to…adjust his original plans. First things first, he had to make sure that potion didn't wear off on Sporta-kook.

"The potion in that little pink demon won't wear off for a while, especially once I make it so she truly hates Sporta-kook, but _he'll _need another dose." He walked over to his experiment table and "cooked" what was left of the potion he had used on Sportacus. "There, that should keep his;" Robbie blanched slightly, "_feeling's _at bay. Now, all I have to do is find a way to give it to him." He paced around with the apple in his hand, trying to think of how to get him to eat it _this _time. Finally he came up with an idea: he would put the apple right where Sportacus would find it while playing with the Lazytown kids in the park…

Five minutes later he was outside, heading sneakily for the park so he could place the apple at just the right spot at just the right time… Aha! Perfect! He walked up behind the wall where a bench was set up against, waited for Sportacus to give the rest of the children an apple, and then quickly placed the apple on the bench when Sportacus went towards it to get a bottle of water.

Sportacus looked at the apple curiously. _Hmm, must've fallen from the tree. _He shrugged and took a few big bites out of the apple before gulping down some water. Robbie almost blew his cover by laughing out loud, but managed to make it a safe distance away before this happened.

"That was much too easy… Now, to ensure that that gullible blue elf messes up big time. Then Pinky will _really _hate him, and then, oooh _then _the fun and games will _really _begin." He walked back to his layer, taking not of the fact that he wasn't breathing heavily when he got there, and it was easier than usual to lift up the lid to the pipe. He sighed. "Stupid Sporta-kook, making me have to run around all the time trying to get rid of him. I'm actually getting _healthy." _Robbie blanched as he jumped down the pipe and fell into his layer and looked up the Mayor's number in the phone book.

"By now, Pinkies mother _must _have asked the firemen if she could go back into her old house at some point…" He found the number and dialed it, hoping that Stephanie's mother would pick up.

"Hello, Meanswell residence." Sure enough, Mary Meanswell's fairly pleasant voice came over the phone.

"Hello, ma'am, I'm calling from the Lazytown fire department." Robbie lowered his voice, making it huskier than it really was.

"Oh, uh, ok."

"I was told to inform a Mrs. Mary Meanswell that it is, in fact, safe to go back into the house at 223 Jackson Road."

"Oh really? That's great! Now I can go and see if there's anything left of our things. Thank you very much!" She was extremely enthusiastic, and she promptly hung up before Robbie could say another word. "Dang, that woman is just as gullible as the elf…" And thus began the 'fun and games' and, consequently, chaos that was to become the daily routine in Lazytown.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_Present (11:45 a.m.)_

The emergency room in the Sunnytown hospital came to life as they quickly wheeled in their newest arrival. The paramedics bustled about, trying to transfer her onto the hospital bed without moving her too much, and the nurses rushed out to assist them. Dr. Jacky Carter walked briskly into the room, and one of the paramedics immediately came up to her, telling her everything she knew.

"She's got multiple bone fractures and contusions. We think she might be bleeding internally, and she's nonresponsive; we think she might have taken a blow to the head somewhere along the line…"

"Good Lord, what happened to the poor women?"

"She fell from the third floor of her house and landed in the concrete basement. Apparently there was a fire and she was trying to see if there was anything left of her belongings." Dr. Carter grimaced and began to bark orders to the nurses as she quickly inspected the woman's wounds. The medic went on hurriedly, "She fell on a sort of old wooden dresser. We think she might have broken her spine…" She didn't get any farther; Dr. Carter stopped her.

"That's enough information… No! She's lost too much blood, she must be bleeding internally! Her heart's giving out!" One of the nurses handed her the panels to jump start the woman's heart. "Clear…" She shocked her once, but got no reaction. "Clear…" She did it again, still with no reaction. "Clear…clear…AGAIN!" She tried desperately to revive the woman. Finally, just when she was about to give up, the woman began to breathe again. "GET HER ON LIFE SUPPORT! Now! And get her ready for surgery, we have to remove the blood." The woman's heart was beating again, just barely, but still…

Meanwhile, back in the waiting room, Mayor Meanswell and his wife Bessie walked worriedly in.

Uh, excuse me," He said to the nurse. "My sister, Mary Meanswell, was just taken here. She… Do you know anything about her condition?"

"She was just wheeled back into da E.R. I don't know how she is exactly, but it ain't good. I heard 'em say she may have broken her spine…" The nurse, obviously a New Yorker, offered not comfort.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What am I going to do?" He collapsed into a chair worriedly, putting his hands on his face. Bessie sat beside, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure she will be…alright dear. She's alive, that's what's important."

"Yes, but with that sort of injury, she… I don't know what I would do without her."

"Don't think like that dear, please. It won't do any good to think like that." She kissed his cheek in an effort to sooth him, then looked up when she heard someone else come into the room.

"Sportacus?"

"I… Is she… I mean." For the first time ever since she had met him, Sportacus couldn't seem to get the words out.

"We don't know." She said simply and left it at that; no need to tell him what the nurse had said, he obviously felt guilty enough. He leaned up against the wall in the corner and stared at the floor.

"It wasn't your fault you know." Bessie could easily sense what he was feeling. She had gotten good at that, sensing exactly what people were feeling at a given time, even if they tried to hide it.

"I… I couldn't save her. I couldn't, and now… She could…" Was it just her, or were there tears beginning to slide down his handsome face.

"You're absolutely right. You _couldn't _save her. You may be a hero, but, for goodness sake, you're still only human." Sportacus winced slightly when she said 'human', but didn't say anything. She ignored it and plowed on. "Of course there're going to be something's that even _you _can't do. I've just told Milford this and now I'm going to say it to you: she's not dead. She actually survived that fall, and if it weren't for you, no one would have even known she was there. You still saved her, just not in the way you would have like to. No one is perfect." He gave the short, thick woman a sideways look.

"I'd of thought you'd hate me… I mean she's your sister in law and…" Bessie couldn't believe what she was seeing: Lazytown's great hero actually seemed to have fallen. Every one put him up high on a pedestal, treated him almost like a god. Yet, it would take tragedy's like these to remind them that he was, in fact, only human.

"No, no, of course I don't hate you, and neither does Milford… Neither will dear, sweet, Stephanie, if that's what you're thinking. You do so much for our little town; none of us could ever hate you."

"I…Thank you. You're very kind, Bessie…" He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes, regaining his hero like confidence, or at least the illusion of it. "I'm going back to my airship."

"Ok…" She watched him walk back out. She was not convinced that he was ok, not at all, but she knew he would be. She was sure this had never happened to him before, that he never failed to save some one in _this _bad a situation, and she knew it would take time before he would recover from it. But he would, eventually, be alright.

* * *

_**Hey every one...Sorry, I had some computer troubles. I am now using my mother's laptop instead of the family computer, because the motherboard on that one apparently fried. Unfortunately, this means I will not be able to work on my other story for a while… Oh well, you guys are reading this one, not that one. I hope you like this chapter… I think the title is certainly fitting. Let me know what you think.:)**_


	11. 10 Years in the Making

Chap. 11: 10 Years in the Making

Sportacus paced restlessly back and forth through his airship. He couldn't even begin to describe how he felt at that moment. He felt… miserable? Sad? Deep despair? He didn't know anymore. He felt just plain horrible. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to save anyone again. He didn't; no, couldn't save Mrs. Meanswell. What would happen to her? Would she be alright? Had she broken any major bones? Had she broken?… Oh, no, please, no. An endless string of questions came flooding into his mind, all basically asking the same thing: would Mary Meanswell be alright? There was simply no way to know, and he continued to pace back and forth worriedly for quite some time. Finally, he stopped, allowing himself merely one selfish thought: would Stephanie hate him for this? She was already extremely unhappy with him, and he had been kind of worried about her lately. She had seemed… Not herself. He couldn't quite put his finger on _what _was different, but he knew something was, and he had a very bad feeling that it had a lot to do with Robbie Rotten. He sighed. _No, now is not the time for that. You should be back down in the hospital, making sure she is safe… _He smiled slightly, _Bessie is such a sweet woman, though she can be kind of nosey at times. And she was right. I suppose it really isn't my fault. But still… She said I was only human. Oh, if only she knew the truth, if only I could tell her… I shouldn't have panicked back when Mrs. Meanswell was about to fall. Half of the training I went through was to train myself not to panic when things like that happen._ He shook his head.

"Platform down; ladder." He barked out the orders to his airship. He climbed down the ladder, a little shaky, but that was understandable. He had lost a lot of his confidence, and consequently he had lost some of his elegance when moving about. He sighed for the millionth time as he walked into the hospital again. The Mayor and Bessie were gone, probably talking to the doctors or maybe, and this was being extremely optomistic, Mrs. Meanswell. He was about to ask the nurse if she knew anything about Mrs. Meanswell, but instead he walked out of that room and into the hallway. There was someone else he needed to talk to, before she learned about what had happened.

"Stephanie." He walked fairly cautiously into the room, trying to maintain the allusion of his hero like confidence and authority.

"Oh, wow, do I actually have a visitor." Her sarcastic remark was iced with a fairly pleasant voice. Apparently she hadn't noticed whose voice it was, or the accent accompanying it. He walked farther into her room, just far enough so that she could see him and vice versa. She looked up, and her eyes, which held all of the cheerful perkiness of before, (and there it was, that something else, something different, the fire in her eyes that never seemed to leave), turned dark and hateful. Was it possible she knew already?

"What do _you _want? I mean, jeez, I was hoping for mom—" No, she didn't know yet.

"Look, Stephanie, we need to talk. It needs to happen _now _before anything else happens."

"I…" She sensed a sort of determination in his voice, and she knew darn well what _that _meant. His mind was set on _something _and there would be no stopping him until he did it. "Ok, what do we need to talk about?" She sighed, impatiently.

"I… I." What had happened? He was so confident a minute ago and then… what? All his ambition seemed to just melt away. "Steph, I." He knew he did, why on earth couldn't he say it? "Stephanie… Oh, boy." He shook his head.

"What the heck? What is it you're trying to say?"

"Look… Why have you been so angry with me lately? I mean, I know you've been annoyed with me because I've been acting… Look, I didn't do anything to deserve your hatred." _Liar. You know darn well you've done something that would make her hate you; she just doesn't know it yet. _He shook his head of these thoughts as she answered him.

"Well, to be perfectly honest my dear Sporta-ego, you've been acting like a jerk. And I don't _hate _you_…_ It's more like an _extreme _dislike."

"Will you please stop calling me that?" Stephanie smirked at this.

"Why, _Sport_, does it _bother _you?" She said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

"Well yes,_ Steph_, it does. To be perfectly honest with _you, _you sound like Robbie Rotten."

"I'm getting under your skin aren't I?"

"…"

"That's what I thought. I don't really care who I sound like, ok? Maybe it's time I start acting a little different. Maybe then no one will treat me like the oh-so-disgustingly-cute-little-Stephy with the bright pink hair who loves to dance to stupid songs. Maybe then people will stop expecting me to _act _like her. I'm not her anymore, I think it's time I started acting like it."

"You're acting like a… Like a villain and a horrible person Steph; if anything, people are going to wind up being afraid of you… I don't understand, this isn't you. Why are you acting like this?"

"I don't know really. I could tell you part of the reason why, but you wouldn't give two cents."

"I think I know why, and I can assure you that, yes, I would care."

"Alright fine… I waited ten years for you. I hopped on that plane to Italy so angry and heartbroken because of you, you can't even begin to imagine. And then, when I came back, I hoped so desperately that you wouldn't be mad, that you would love me back. I know you do, I just want you to say it. Ten years, since I was twelve years old; is it too much to ask for you to say the words 'I love you'?"

"I… Steph, I…' And there it was again. He felt so sure about it until he looked into her eyes… "I…don't…know. I'm sorry Steph, I really I am. I can't say those words truthfully; please understand I came in her with every intention of saying those words to you truthfully, but… I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You're selfish, you're arrogant, and you're a jerk!" She kept getting louder, then she screamed, "GET OUT!" The machines started to go crazy yet again.

"Steph please I…" He looked straight into her eyes and tried so desperately to dig up those feelings. Why? This didn't make a lick of sense… Wait a minute! Robbie Rotten! That's it, he's behind all of this, maybe even what happened to Mrs. Meanswell. But how? It still didn't make a lick of sense, only now he knew who to go to for answers.

"I said GET O—"

"Stephanie, wait, listen. I think I know what's going on here."

"I…Wait a minute; what did you say?"

"I think I know why I can't truthfully say I love you. I also think I know why you're acting so strange… Robbie Rotten."

"Ok, now you're not making any sense at all. I don't know about you, but I haven't seen or heard from Robbie since I got here. I don't think it's exactly fair to blame this on him."

"Oh, great, first you start to sound like him, then you start to act like him, and now you're defending him?" He shook his head. "Look, I haven't seen him either, but he could have done it sneakily. You know his whole 'Master of Disguise' shtick."

"I guess, but I doubt he could come up with something this intricate. I mean actually changing the way someone acts and feels and thinks? How on earth could he, could_ anyone_, do that?"

"I…don't know. But I'm going to find out. I'm going to fix this, and then… and then I'm going to make you mine." The confused pink one gave him a quizzical look.

"What—?" She was about to ask him a question, but then her Aunt and Uncle entered the room.

"Stephanie I… Oh dear, Sportacus, I didn't know you were in here."

"I should leave." Sportacus turned to go out the door, but the mayor stopped him.

"Hey, Uncle Milford… Yes, Sportacus, you should. I already told you to leave."

"No, no, no. He probably wants to hear this too."

"No, it's really none of my business."

"Sportacus…"

"Hear what? What's none of your business?" Stephanie piped up again. Her voice, having regained its cheerfulness after seeing her aunt and uncle, waivered only slightly.

"It's your mother. She's, uh, had an accident." Bessie spoke, and Stephanie's face began to soften considerably, the fire that was always burning dimming into a soft glow at the mention of her mother.

"Oh, i-is she alright?"

"W-well she…" Her uncle put a comforting arm around his wife's shoulder, then took over for her.

"She's unconscious right now, they don't know when, or even_ if_ she is going to come out of it…" He paused, and tears started to slide down his cheeks. "And her spine is broken. She won't—" He paused again, taking in a deep breath. "She'll never walk again." Stephanie just started at him, speechless, until the news sunk in fully and she began to cry.

"Oh my… How did this happen? What happened? I don't understand, how could she have broken her spine, she such a careful person normally. Where was she?" She was almost hysterical. "What happened?" She repeated.

"She went back into you guys' house. Apparently a fireman told her it was safe, or at least that's what we're assuming."

"Oh my…No, no, no, it can't be true!"

"I-i-is, unfortunately. I-I'm sorry."

"No, it doesn't make sense, why would she go back in? Who would be stupid enough to tell her she could?! AND WHERE WERE YOU THEN?!" She pointed accusatorily at Sportacus, who had practically collapsed into a chair when he heard about Stephanie's mother. He stood up shakily and walked over to her, and Stephanie seemed taken aback by this sudden change. Instead of his usually confident and almost arrogant heir, he seemed…human. For the first time since she met him when she was just 8 years old, he actually seemed human. He forced himself to look her in the eye yet again, and what he saw only made him feel worse. The fire in her eyes was blazing again, with hatred and anger, and it was directed straight at him. "Well?! Don't just stand there Sporta- stupid, tell me! Where were you?! Why weren't you there?! Why didn't you save her?!"

"Steph, I couldn't—!"

"Couldn't what, huh?! You were obviously there, so _why didn't you save her?!_"

"I'm sorry, Steph, so, so, so sorry. Please, there was nothing I could do, the wood was so weak and she was hanging of the edge and--."

"I don't care." Her voice was suddenly quiet and shaky as she tried to control her temper. "Just leave. Leave, and I don't ever want to see you again." Sportacus started shaking even more; it seemed he could barely stand. Milford and Bessie, unsure of what to do, if anything.

"Steph, please you don't mean that. Think about what you're saying, please!" He… Was actually begging her? This was something she never thought she'd see, her mighty hero begging. It actually made her laugh, despite it all.

"You? Begging? I think I'm going crazy… Yes I most certainly do mean it. I hate you. I don't _ever _want to see or talk to you again." The machine's started to go crazy yet again, and some nurses quickly came flying in, trying to calm her down.

"I… Stephanie… Please." He looked deep into her eyes. He saw hatred and fury like he'd never seen in anyone before. Nothing seemed to remain of the old Stephanie. He also suddenly felt all of the feelings come flooding back. The feelings of love and happiness that he had come to associate almost solely with her. "Stephanie, please, I love you." He said it so quietly, yet when he said it the room went pin drop quiet.

"What?"

"I love you, Stephanie Anne Meanswell. I really, truly do love you."

"I… You…Get out. I don't believe it, you finally decide to swallow your pride and tell me that and you chose now, of all times, to do it? I repeat: I _never, ever, ever _want to talk to you again. Do you hear me? Don't ever talk to me again or I'll punch you square in the face, I swear it."

"I—"

"GET OUT!" At that he began to back out of the room, slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. There were, in fact, quite a few things he was actually afraid of; this had been one of them. Stephanie… Hated him. He felt like he was going to burst; he felt angry, sad, frustrated, so many emotions balled up into one. He continued to back out of the room until he was in the hallway, and then he ran. He ran and ran and ran, straight out of the hospital, straight past his airship, which was still floating overhead. He ran, away from the hospital, away from Stephanie, away from her mother, and even farther away from Lazytown. Three words continued to run through his mind: _I hate you_. _I hate you… She hates me, she hates me. She waited 10 years for me, and I blew it and now, oh now she hates me. Oh please tell me this is just a nightmare, please. _He didn't know what to do, so he just ran. He would keep running, too, until he was several towns over, where he would collapse, unconscious from exhaustion…

_**And we shall see what happens in the next chapter. Until then, leave reviews please. I would really love you for it… Ok that sounds weird. Just let me know what you think**__****_


	12. Chicken Soup

Chap. 12: Chicken Soup

Sportacus floated in and out of consciousness. He wasn't aware of much, just the fact that, wherever he was, it smelled good. That, and there were definitely kids around. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could tell because it would get really noisy and every once in a while he would here a woman's voice come in and tell them to quiet down... Just as she was doing again now. She was obviously there mother; her voice was calm and motherly as she scolded them.

"Sssh, quiet down, all of you. You'll wake him… Danny, no, you can't light a candle. Jessica, get away from the T.V. set, you're gonna knock it over… Joshy, be careful, don't pick up your sister… I know you're only playing, but you're not big enough to be picking her up." He was slowly becoming fully conscious, and he figured that the oldest child in the room was about 8 or 9 years old. He also figured that the youngest was just a baby, maybe 1 ½ or 2. He slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was that it was day time. Well, the sun was still up. It actually seemed to be in the late afternoon. The second thing he noticed was how rowdy and crazy the children in the room were. The woman had walked back out of the room, and he decided to try and not move too much. He didn't want the children to know he was awake just yet. He slowly turned his head to look at the room he was in, and he saw that he was correct. The oldest child in the room was the one that, he guessed, was Jessica and she was, indeed, about 9 years old. The youngest was a baby girl, no older than 2 years old. The house they were in was apparently not very big, but it was very homey. There was a small television sitting right across the room from where he was laying; he was lying on an old, but comfortable couch. At one end of the couch was a table with a lamp on it. At the same end of the room there was a window with brightly colored blue curtains, pulled back to let the sunlight into the room. There were toys everywhere; from baby toys like rattles and blocks, to girly toys like dolls and a plastic tea set, to toys for little boys like toy cars and trucks. He couldn't see what was at the other end of the room without getting up, but he was pretty sure…

"Oh, hey mister, you're awake." The little girl, who suddenly seemed vaguely familiar, looked at him and smiled. Sportacus sat up abruptly, only to be met with a feeling of extreme dizziness only seconds later.

"Whoa, I don't feel so good." He mumbled under his breath as the little girl got up and disappeared into another room, no doubt to tell her mother he was awake. Sure enough, minutes later a woman, young, if only in appearance, walked into the room. She wasn't very tall, and she was a bigger woman; but she was also attractive, with boyishly short, brownish blonde hair. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and she also wore glasses. She walked towards him smiling and tripping over some of the toys in the room.

"Oh, kids, clean up these toys, your sitter's going to be here soon. She already has to take care of all of you, I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to break a leg because she tripped over a building block." She shook her head and looked at Sportacus. "Hi, honey. Here, lay back down, you don't look so good." She came and gently pushed him back down onto the couch. Sportacus just shook his head, trying to clear it.

"W-where am I? And who're you?" The woman smiled a warm, soothing smile.

"My name is Rebecca, and… Well you're in Loonytown." Sportacus raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I certainly am… _Now _I've heard everything." He shook his head again, and the woman, who he now knew as Rebecca chuckled.

"Yeah, that's what most people say when they hear the name of this town."

"I… What smell's so good."

"Homemade chicken soup, my own recipe. Should be ready to eat here pretty soon. It should also put some of the color back in that pale, handsome face of yours." She smiled again, and Sportacus sat up, more slowly this time, to face her.

"What happened to me…? I'm freezing." _I feel like I have a cold… but that hasn't happened since - _

"I… don't know exactly. All I know is that I found you on my way home from the store last night. You were barely conscious, mumbling incoherently about some girl named Stephanie. It was storming last night, rain, thunder, the whole enchilada, and I certainly couldn't have just left you out there, so I brought you here. You've probably got the chill's, no doubt that's why you're cold." She stood up from where she was sitting on the couch next to him and walked up a staircase that Sportacus now noticed was one of the things on the end of the room opposite the window. She came back a minute later, and threw a warm, heavy blanket over him.

"Thanks… Did you say I was talking about a girl named Stephanie…?"

"Yeah, said something about Stephanie hating you. I can't imagine why you'd be here if she hated you; I'd be back in – wherever you came from – if I were you, trying to make it so she didn't. Oh, back in a sec." She got up and walked into another room, probably the kitchen, and Sportacus noticed for the first time that the kids in the room were looking at him curiously.

"Uuuhh, hi kids." He said nervously. Jessica walked up fearlessly with a welcoming smile on her face.

"Hi, I'm Jessica. What's your name?"

"Uh, my name's Sportacus."

"Welcome to Loonytown, Sportacus." Sportacus suddenly realized why she seemed so familiar; she reminded him of Stephanie when she was that age. She was a very cute little girl, with short brown hair, done up in the same style as Stephanie's hair used to be. She also had on a purple dress that reminded him very much of the one's Stephanie used to wear. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, he felt a good portion of his confidence come back to him.

"Thank you. That's a very nice dress you have on, Jessica."

"Thanks. This is my favorite thing to wear since purple's my favorite color. Is blue _your_ favorite color?" She looked down at his outfit, which, he now noticed, was very out of sorts. He smiled.

"Yes, I like the color blue." He looked up at the other kids in the room, who were still giving him curious looks. "And what are your names?" The oldest boy walked up next to his sister.

"My names Danny. That's an awesome outfit." Danny was about 7. He had longish light brown hair, like their mother, and he was wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals.

"Thanks, Danny. You've got on some pretty cool sandals there." Danny just smiled at this.

"And how about you?" He gestured to the other little boy in the room. "Did I hear her call you Joshy?" Joshy nodded shyly. He was no older than 5. Jessica smiled and walked over to her little sister.

"Her name's Rebecca, just like mommy, but we call her Becca for short." Sportacus smiled and waved to the cute little baby girl, who was playing with blocks at that moment, and didn't seem to care about the stranger in the room. Then he looked back at Jessica.

"You know, you remind and awful lot of… A girl that I first met when she was about a year younger than you. She's all grown up now, though."

"Really? Wow, she must be a really nice person if she's known you for so long." Sportacus looked down sadly, remembering how Stephanie had actually turned out. He didn't get to think on that for long though, because Rebecca walked back in carrying a steaming hot bowl of soup, and his attention turned to his growling stomach.

"Ok, kids, give him some room to breathe. I thought I told you to start cleaning up. Here you go, honey. Careful, it's hot." Sportacus blew on a spoonful of the chunky chicken soup before eating it as the kids in the room groaned in annoyance.

"Moooom, do we _have _to clean up?" Jessica and Danny protested in unison.

"Yes, you do." Rebecca answered them curtly.

"Mmm, this is really good." Sportacus piped up, smiling slightly.

"Thanks, like I said, it's my own recipe. I call it chicken soup, but it's got everything from beef to veggies to some of the most exotic spices in my spice cabinet." She said. "So, where _are _you from?"

"I'm from… Well, I came here from Lazytown."

"Lazytown, really? That's an hour away from here just by car. Did you walk all the way here?"

"I don't remember really… I think I ran all the way here."

"Really, why?"

"It's a long story."

"…" She raised a curious eyebrow at him. "I've heard a lot about that town. About a certain _superhero_ who wears all blue."

"Let's just say I'm a slightly above average hero." He smiled sheepishly.

"Well, if you're the hero _there_, then why are you _here._"

"I'd really rather not talk about." He sounded agitated.

"Ok, ok, enough said."

"Wait a minute, what time is it?" The reality of his current situation suddenly hit him hard. He threw of the blanket and jumped up abruptly, feeling the dizziness come back, but ignoring it as best he could.

"It's about 6:00. Why?"

"I gotta get back. The mayor's probably going out of his mind wondering where I am and with Mrs. Meanswell…" He trailed off.

"Well, if you need to get back, I can certainly drive you. I've got a babysitter coming to look after the kids for a while so I can go out, and she'll be here in about 10 minutes or so."

"I couldn't ask you to go so far out of your way--."

"No, it's fine. I was going to go to the mall out in Sunnytown, so I can easily take you the 10 extra minutes out to Lazytown."

"I – Thank you. Actually you won't have to; my airship is probably still floating just above the Sunnytown Hospital."

"The hospital? Oh, never mind, it's none of my business. I can take you there. Except, you have to promise me one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You have to come back here to visit us. The kids really seem to like you, and I think they'd like to see you again."

"Yeah, I like that idea!" Jessica smiled. "Will you come back soon? Next time you can play with us." Sportacus looked reluctantly back and forth between the kids and their mother. _This certainly is Loonytown._

"I – yeah, ok, I promise to come back soon so we can play." Sportacus smiled at Jessica one last time before the babysitter walked into the house…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Meanwhile back in Lazytown, the mayor was, indeed, going out of his mind with worry. So many things had happened in just the last couple of days, he could hardly think straight. Having Sportacus gone obviously wasn't helping things either, though he wasn't sure that the hero in blue would be able to do much saving for a while. He could only hope that wherever Sportacus had gone, he had been able to compose himself enough to still be of some help. It was so weird how he had just disappeared. No one knew where he went; no one had thought to follow him because He and Bessie were both trying to help calm Stephanie down. What was even more puzzling was the fact that he hadn't even taken his airship; it was still floating over the Sunnytown Hospital. He sighed when the thought of the hospital came to his mind. With both his sister and his apparently embittered niece there, it was not at all a pleasant place to be thinking about. He walked over to the window, where the setting sun was still streaming in fairly brightly, and looked across the street to the playground where several of the Lazytown kids were playing basketball. The whole scene seemed odd to look at without Sportacus there playing with them. He shook his head and was about to get up when a very familiar sight caught his eye.

Sportacus' big blue airship came flying in to town, stopping to hover at its usual spot above town hall. The latter came down and Sportacus began to climb to the ground. It was obvious that he had regained some of his confidence, which was great, but it only made the mayor all the more curious as to where he had been. Before he knew it Sportacus was in the town hall, standing right in front of him. He looked pale and a little weak, but he also much more hero like than he had last night.

"Hello, mayor. I'm sorry about my – uh – disappearance."

"It's alright, Sportacus, I probably would have run too if I were you. I understand yesterday was hard for you. What I don't understand is where on earth did you go? You didn't even take your airship…"

"I just ran. I… don't know where it was that I wound up, but I managed somehow to walk all the way back to Sunnytown."_Lies; all of it, lies. Why are you lying to him? There's no reason for it. _Sportacus realized, with disgust, that some of what Stephanie had said about him was true. He was prideful, to a certain extent, and he didn't want the mayor to know that he was sick with a cold because he had managed to get himself caught in a terrible storm. He didn't want the mayor to know that a woman had picked him up and taken him to her house because he was nearly unconscious when she found him, and that the same woman had driven him home because he wasn't even sure how to get back to Lazytown…

"Oh, well, as long as you're alright I suppose. The kids will be going home soon, so you should probably just go back to your airship. You must be tired, after all."

"Yes, I am very tired. Good evening, mayor." And with that, Sportacus walked out the door and back to his airship. He couldn't believe himself, how easily he had lied to the mayor. He couldn't believe that Stephanie was right. He couldn't believe… anything that had happened in the past two days. None of it seemed real to him, just a total blur. He climbed back up the latter to his air ship, and allowed a slight smile to grace his lips. From what he had seen, Loonytown certainly was worthy of its name. For some reason though, he couldn't wait to go back. Little Jessica had reminded him so much of a 15 years younger Stephanie, and he certainly hadn't minded Rebecca's company either.

He began to fix himself a fruit salad, suddenly wondering if Stephanie had calmed down at all since yesterday. He hoped so. _I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't stand the thought of her actually hating me. I didn't think Stephanie was capable of actually _hating _anybody. But, then again, something tells me that she's not herself right now. Tomorrow I'm going to go to Robbie Rotten and demand some answer's from him. I know he's behind all of this… Well, not _all _of this. It's my own fault I'm sick. I shouldn't have acted so impulsively. I _should _have kept a cool head, like usual. I also shouldn't have lied to the mayor. Why did I do that? Because I am selfish and arrogant, just like Stephanie said… No, I have to fix that. I have to tell the mayor what really happened and I have to apologize to Stephanie, even if she won't except it. She's changed so much, maybe that's what I need to do to… _He went to sleep that night with a feeling of confidence and strengthened resolve. It was time he took charge for real, otherwise… He shuddered slightly. He didn't even want to think of what could happen otherwise.

_**Hey everyone. This is probably going to be the last chapter for a while, since I've been on spring break and I start back on Monday. I hope you all liked this chapter. As always, let me know what you think.**_


	13. Oh, What a Tangled Web

Chap. 13: Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave.

Unbeknownst to Sportacus (or, for that matter, anyone else), Robbie Rotten had, of course, been hiding in the bushes just outside the town hall. He had heard everything that the Mayor and Sportacus had said, and it was very obvious to him that the hero in blue was lying through his teeth.

"Why would he lie? What on earth could that open book of a blue elf be trying to cover up?" Robbie was now back in his lair, trying to figure out what Sportacus was hiding and why in the hopes that it would be helpful to him.

"He said he ran from the hospital in Sunnytown all the way too… Where? How could he not know where? And how on earth did he manage to get back if he didn't even know where he was, by walking no less?" Robbie refused to believe that any human (or elf) being could actually run all the way to a town that was obviously not close to Sunnytown, walk all the way back, fly his weird airship back to Lazytown, and still have enough strength to go tell the bumbling mayor that he was alright without collapsing from exhaustion. In fact, Robbie was downright positive that it couldn't be done.

"The elf's hiding something big, and I'm gonna find out what… But first, I think I'll pay a visit to my little pink villain-in-training. I wonder how she's taking all of this… Not too well, I hope." He smirked evilly and chuckled as he got ready to go to the hospital. He had another part of his plan cooked up, and this part was sure to be fun.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Stephanie was, indeed, not taking it at all well. She was upset beyond all reason. She was angry, hurt, and sad beyond all possible understanding. She couldn't even bring herself to think about her mother, and she couldn't seem to stop thinking – and fuming – over Sportacus and the way he was acting.

"I still can't believe him. How could he just _not_ save her? It doesn't make sense." She shook her head as thoughts of her mother began to come to her mind. "Oooh, I hate him. I really, really, _really _hate him." She looked up, frustrated, as Annie walked into the room carrying a tray of – well, Stephanie guessed it was supposed to be Lasagna, but it didn't look like it in her eyes.

"Heah you go, honey." She began to place the tray in front of Stephanie, but Stephanie would have none of it.

"I'm not hungry."

"Mmmhhmm. That's exactly what ya'll said this mornin' when I tried to bring you breakfast an' this afternoon when I tried to give you lunch. Come on, honey, you gotta eat somethin'."

"No, I don't. I'm fine."

"Do ya'll want me to go get Dr. Carter, 'cause I will, believe me."

"Fine, fine, I'll eat; just don't get _her,_ please." Annie smirked in triumph.

"Good. I'll be back in a while, so I can check to make sure ya actually ate it." She turned to walk out of the room, but didn't make it very far as she bumped in to somebody. A very tall and very skinny somebody, Stephanie noticed, before realizing who it actually was.

"Sorry." Annie mumbled before walking hurriedly out of the room, and Stephanie turned to face Robbie.

"Robbie? I was wondering if you were going to come in and bug me again."

"Of course, why not? I would think you'd be awfully lonely here in this – horrible place."

"No, I'm not. I'm perfectly fine." She growled at him, and he was taken aback.

"What's your problem, kid? I didn't even do anything to you." Robbie responded defensively.

"No, not yet, but I'm sure you're planning on doing something terrible, and I'm _not_ in the mood."

"I can see that, but if you'll take the time to listen to me for a minute, pinky, I _do_ have a plan that even you might find to be – interesting."

"Oh, _really_. Well, you can just keep it to yourself, because I'm _not _interested."

"Even if it involves a certain _someone_. Someone that you _really _don't like right now… That you may even _hate._"

"Hate? Robbie, just get to the point, ok… Oh, wait, you mean…" She couldn't even bring herself to say his name.

"Yes, Pinky, I'm talking about Sporta-idiot. The reason why your dearest mummy is here in the hospital with you." He smirked at the look that came across Stephanie's face. "Ah, bingo, huh Pinky?"

"Look, I still don't care about whatever your stupid plan is." She snapped.

"I see you've gained quite the temper since the last time we talked… To be honest, I like it. It suites you much better than acting like you were still a little girl." He faked gagging, and Stephanie snarled at him.

"Fine, since you obviously have no intention of leaving, you might as well just tell me what you have in mind."

"Ha, I knew you'd come around."

"_Robbie don't push it._"

"Ok, ok, just relax and listen… You and I both know that the blue elf is in love with you, right?"

"Yes." Stephanie replied, warily.

"But he just won't tell you –."

"No, that's not true. He did tell me yesterday, right after my uncle told me about my mom. The insensitive idiot; he waited to tell me until I was screaming at him to get out because I never wanted to talk to him again."

"Aaah, bad timing, that's even worse than _not _telling you. Ok, so he told you last night, and then what? He ran away didn't he?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

"I heard him talking to your uncle a little while ago. He told him that he just ran to someplace pretty far away and that he didn't know where he was so he just walked back here…"

"Liar." Stephanie chuckled. "He was probably just too ashamed to tell my uncle what really happened. I told him he was too prideful, but he wouldn't listen. I wonder what _really _happened, though."

"Eh, I figured he was lying too... You're definitely right, Pinky, he's hiding something, and I'm going to figure out what. But that's not important right now; my plan, on the other hand, is." Stephanie sighed, but seemed genuinely interested now.

"Ok, you officially have my full attention Robbie, but only because I want him gone just as bad as you do. What are you up too this time?" Robbie smiled.

"It's the perfect plan; it'll bring that annoying blue jumping bean down to his overly muscled knees. The first thing we have to do is make him feel better."

"…" Robbie smiled even wider when Stephanie gave him a curious look.

"Think for a second: what is it that he wants more than anything else right now?"

"I… He probably wants me to stop hating him…" She made a disgusted face. "For me to love him back again… And 'we'? I never said I would help you."

"Bingo; and I guarantee you'll want to if you just hear me out."

"You…" She pointed a finger at him and started to say something, but changed her mind. "I'm confused." She shook her head.

"Well, if we want him to feel better then we need to give him what he wants, right?"

"Right, but I don't love him, not anymore. That ship has sailed and is now long gone."

"I know, and I can see you're all the better for it, kid. But, like is said, if you do what I say we can get rid of Sporta-kook forever."

"I… Ok, I'll help you." Stephanie agreed, reluctantly.

"Good. Now, as much as I know it will pain you to do it, you are going to have to act like you've forgiven him." Stephanie made a face.

"That's not as easy as you would think."

"Like I said, I know it won't be easy, but in order for my plan to work, you have to do as I say." Stephanie sighed.

"Alright, I'll do my best. But, why? I'm still a little confused."

"It's a distraction. He's already love struck, if he thinks he has a chance to win you back than that will only fuel it."

"Ok, but that doesn't tell me much. What are you planning?"

"Well, I don't _exactly _know how this is going to work yet, but I figure if Sporta-kook thinks you've forgiven him and then you push him away again like the bitter little witch that you've obviously become…" Robbie smirked evilly.

"He'll be upset and run away again…. Hopefully, for good this time." Stephanie finished his sentence, not seeming to mind Robbie's bluntness, and she began to chuckle just as evilly. "You're right Robbie, I _do _like this plan. In fact, I think it's one of the best plans you've ever had."

"Well, thank you." Robbie smirked. "I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see the look on Sporta–" He was cut off as Annie walked back into the room. She gave Stephanie and Robbie odd looks, as the both still had the odd smirks on their faces.

"I'll, uh, talk to you later, kid." Stephanie nodded as Robbie walked back out of the room.

"What's with that look you got on your face, child? Ya'll look like you're ready to raise all kinds o' trouble." Stephanie just shook her head.

"I… It's nothing."

"Mmhmm." Annie looked doubtful, but didn't say anything more about it. Instead, she decided to comment on the fact that Stephanie _still_ hadn't eaten yet.

"EAT, child, EAT. I know ya'll don't like the food, but you gotta eat or else you'll waste away to nothin'."

"No, I won't!" Stephanie protested, but she picked up the fork and took a bite anyway, prompted more by her empty and growling stomach than she was by the nurse. Annie just shook her head, chuckling as Stephanie blanched at the now chilly lasagna, then mumbled something about wanting chocolate cake.

"Whoever that girl winds up marryin'," she shook her head as she walked out of the room, "mm-mm-mm, he sure is gonna have handful of a young woman to deal with… But, then agin, she don't seem like the kinda girl who'll be easy to woo anyway."

_**And we'll see what happens between Steph and Sport in the next Chapter…**_

_**I rather like this chapter… So Robbie has officially pulled Stephanie over to his side, which means things should **_**really **_**start to get interesting now. **__****__** Hopefully, that prospect makes you want to read more, especially since that means there will definitely be more Steph/Robbie. Sorry this is kind of a short chapter, but it was either this or an extremely long chapter… Or would you guys have liked that better?**_

_**REVIEW PLEASE. Whether it's good or bad or simply to tell me I made a mistake somewhere, I don't care, just REVIEW. **_


	14. She Loves him Not

Chapter 14: She Loves Him… Not

_So now what? _

This was Stephanie's first thought when Sportacus walked into the room. It was now Tuesday afternoon; two days after Robbie had come to her with his plan. Sportacus was standing at the foot of the hospital bed, nervously waiting to hear what she had to say, a slight glimmer of hopefulness in his eyes, since she had said before that she never wanted to even see him again. Things were already going according to plan; Stephanie had even planned out exactly what she was going to say. There was only one problem: there is a BIG difference between _planning _to pretend to apologize and be nice to the one person you actually hate and _actually _pretending to apologize and be nice to the one person you actually hate… Stephanie wasn't sure if she could do it. _I have to… I did tell Robbie I would… Not that I care about keeping a promise to _him, _because he's not worth it… But still, I don't want him to think I'm incapable of doing something as simple as this… Oh come on Steph, suck it up and talk to him already._

"I…You… Sportacus, I'm not going to yell at you, so relax." She did her best not to sound annoyed.

"Steph I – "

"No, just listen. I have something to tell you, and I don't want you to interrupt." She interrupted him in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Sportacus nodded and she continued. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," She said slowly, trying to keep her voice confident and steady. "I shouldn't have… reacted the way I did. It's not your fault. I'm sure…I'm sure you did everything you could. I…" _And here it is, the _biggest _lie of them all. _"I don't hate you, okay? I said that on impulse… I was angry; I didn't mean half the stuff I said." His face brightened considerably; he looked suddenly very hopeful, as if he still had a chance. _Yeah right… You're just leading him on… You scheming bitter little witch._ A strangely sneering voice in her head told her, and for the first time in a long time Stephanie actually felt slightly guilty for the way she was acting… for what she was doing.

"But wait." Sportacus' cautious, quiet voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked to see that his facial expression had changed again, from hopeful to now skeptic. "You seemed pretty sincere on Saturday when you said that… If you're playing with me Steph, if you're just trying to… Please don't Steph; I don't think I can handle it, not now especially." He looked sad now, as if she had already given him and affirmative answer, and Stephanie felt another twinge of guilt. It was gone in an instant, though, as thoughts of her mother and her injury filled her mind. _No, he's the one who should feel guilty, not you. _He's _the overly energetic, annoyingly healthy blue elf who _should _have saved your mother, but didn't. Now look. She broke her spine and she may never even wake up again. _It occurred to her, not for the first time, that she really did sound like Robbie Rotten. _Wait a minute when did that happen? When did you _actually _become 'Robbie-ette'? Something's fishy here Steph, maybe you should slow down and think about this…_The subconscious voice in her head was now warning her to slow down before she did something she would shook her head slightly. _No time for that now. _

"I'm not playing with you, I promise. It's just… So much has happened in these past couple of weeks. I just need time to sort some things out, okay?" She somehow managed to sound truly convincing. Sportacus nodded hesitantly. "I'll… see you later then?"

"Yeah I… ok." Sportacus was reluctant to trust her fully. _Oh, come on, It's Stephanie, what's not to trust… She said that she didn't mean what she said. You know that words said out of anger are never from the heart… _He felt slightly suspicious of her. He had a bad feeling that there was a lot there that he shouldn't trust. There was something about her… something about the look in her eyes that told him she wasn't as sure of herself as she sounded. _But why? It doesn't make sense… What if… Robbie _was _the one who told me she wanted to talk to me. I didn't even know she had talked to him… Could she possibly be scheming with him – of all the people she could go to… No, just because she momentarily hates the world doesn't mean – no. It's still Steph, even if she has 'grown up'. She wouldn't do that._ He looked up at Steph and smiled genuinely. "I'll visit you again in a couple of days, ok?"

"Uh, yeah, alright. Bye Sporta –dork --" Stephanie's eyes opened wide at the slip up. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _" Ooopss, sorry, spent too much time around Robbie I guess…" Her eyes got even wider. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, _shut up now_, stupid, stupid, stupid…_ "I meant to say 'bye Sportacus'." She smiled nervously.

"It's, uh, ok, Steph." He looked a little hurt, but didn't seem to take it too seriously. "Bye." He walked out of the room and the pink one blinked in bewilderment for a moment before she burst out laughing.

"He is so – so – so naïve! It's unbelievable!" She shook her head, still smiling, and then jumping when another voice interrupted the silence in the room.

"Yes, Pinkie, he is. Are you really that oblivious, or did you realize that before? Oh and, you can relax. I'm not _that _scary."

"That's debatable… and yes, I did realize that before. I used to think it was kind of cute actually. Now I just think it's funny. How long have you been here?"

"I heard that whole conversation, actually. You were perfect. Very believable. Except for that little slip up at the end, but, eh, nobody's perfect right kid? Thankfully the elf's extremely gullible."

"Yeah, I guess so… So, what do you want now Robbie?"

"Why is it that you just _assume _that I want something?"

"Because the only reason why you'll willingly talk to me is because you want something."

"No, Pinkie, I don't really want anything… How much longer do you have to stay in this torture chamber?"

"At least another week, maybe two. Why do you care?"

"I'm just curious… I would have checked myself out regardless by now."

"I didn't even know that was an option…"

"They can't really keep you here against your will… Like I said, I would've by now."

"Yeah, well, I'm _not _you." Robbie raised his eyebrows at her.

"Ok, ok, the thought did come to mind. It is pretty lonely in here. And boring. And I would kill for something chocolate to eat… No, no, I'm _not _you. I'm nothing like you. I'm just – uh – not myself here lately which makes sense, considering…" She trailed off as Robbie started laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You are as just unbelievable as Sporta – what-ever-his-name-is, do you know that? You tell me that we're nothing alike, and yet… Do you hear yourself? I mean, come on, you're _scheming _with me for crying out loud!"

"Yes, Robbie, I do hear myself. I don't sound like you. I sound like a girl who quite viciously had her heart broken by the man she _used to _love. I also sound like a girl who's spent nearly a month in the hospital and whose mother is also in the hospital _near death_. Not to mention the fact that all of it's my fault. I'm being incredibly selfish by thinking of only myself, come to think of it."

"Oh, yeah kid, because _nothing _could be worse than sounding like a semi-normal person… You don't need excuses you know; it's not a crime to be a little selfish sometimes." Robbie had not made this up, he realized to his own dismay, he was being sincere. He really did feel slightly… sorry for her? Yes, he did. He felt slightly sorry for her. Slightly, very, very, _very _slightly; but still. She, however, thought he was being sarcastic and glared at him.

"Go away Robbie. Now."

"Alright, alright, alright." Robbie threw up his hands in mock surrender, mumbling, more to himself than to Stephanie, though she heard it too:

"I wanted to go home anyways. This hospitals awful noisy, considering it's full of sick people. Besides, I need to stop talking to you so much before I go soft." He smirked when an idea suddenly came to his mind. "I could sneak in some chocolate for you next time I come, if you'd like."

"I… Why?" He gave her an odd look.

"Because I want to… Is it some sort of crime to be ni –."He choked slightly on the word. "_Nice."_

"With you? Yes. I mean, since I'm _sooo _much like you, I know that you'd never do something nice for someone else unless you were planning something." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Look, do you want something sweet to eat or not?"

"I already told you yes… I just don't trust you."

"Well then, since we're going to have to work together to get _him _out of town for good, I suppose I might as well at least _try _to earn you trust."

"I don't get it Robbie, why are you… Why do you even care? It makes no sense why it should even matter to you." Robbie just smirked mischievously and walked out of the room, leaving her question unanswered. She continued to stare blankly at the spot where he was standing, thinking about everything he had said, until Annie came into the room.

"What's the matter with you chil'? You look like you just got trampled by a whole herd o' cows…" Stephanie gave her an odd look, and then snapped at her.

"I've no idea what you're talking about… I'm fine."

"Ok, ok, don' need to bite ma head off…" She set a tray of food down in front of Stephanie, who began to eat it absent mindedly, not even thinking to put up a fight, and missing the triumphant smile on the nurse's face.

Things continued on in this manner until Annie was about to leave, and Stephanie decided at the last minute to ask her a question.

"Hey… How much longer do I have to be here?" She blurted it out without really thinking, and then, realizing how odd and random it sounded, amended herself thoughtfully. "I'm just wondering if you know. I'd like to get out of here soon so that I can actually visit my mom, since you guys won't even let me out of this room." Annie gave her a slightly curious look, but answered anyway.

"Well, you're burns are healing very well, and we're done with the skin grafts, so it actually shouldn't be too long… I can go get Dr. Carter if you want, I'm sure she can give you a more exact time period."

"I…" Stephanie wanted to protest, but then she also wanted to know just how much longer she had to be there. "Yeah, alright. Go get Dr… What's-her-name?"

"Carter, it's Dr. Carter, and I'm sure she'll be here in not too long, then." She walked out and, to Stephanie's surprise, Dr. Carter walked in about five minutes later.

"Hi Stephanie."

"Oh – uh – hi." Dr. Carter raised a curious eyebrow at her, since the pink one seemed surprised she was there. Stephanie blushed slightly and added. "I just didn't expect you to be in here so quick. This hospital seems to have too many nurses and too few doctors."

"That it does, but, you caught me at just the right time."

"Oh, ok then. I just wanted to know how much longer I have to be in here. Annie said that it shouldn't be too long."

"She's right, it shouldn't…" She paused and sighed at the hopeful look in Stephanie's eyes. "Alright; look, I can have you out of here tomorrow. But you must promise to do exactly as we tell you when you're at home. That's the only reason you're still here; I don't trust you. That virus that you contracted from you're burns has weakened your body quite a bit; you still need to be taking it easy." She gave Stephanie a stern, no-nonsense look. Stephanie sighed in slight annoyance, but consented anyways.

"Alright, I promise… I suppose if it's my own fault I'm still here it'd be silly of me _not _to do as you say."

"That's a very good point." Dr. Carter smiled. "I'll call your uncle and by this time tomorrow you'll be out of here and back in Lazytown." Stephanie just smiled as the doctor walked back out of the room. _Yes, finally, no more of this stupid hospital… Maybe I'll start feeling more like myself once I'm… Back at my uncles house. _She sighed. _How nice it would be to be able to go back home. I wish… No, don't even go there. You've got _money _remember. Tons of it. You can buy a new house, a better house, one much nicer than your old one. _She shook her head. Somehow, that notion did not comfort her one bit… Suddenly, and very randomly, her attention was drawn to the flowers still sitting by her bedside. They reminded her of the garden that used to be in front of the house, and she smiled slightly. _I can't believe these crazy things are still alive. They've been her for almost a month, along with me, they should be dead by now. _She picked one out and, imitating something she used to do as a little girl just for the fun of it, she began to pick off the petals one by one.

"I love him, I love him not. I love him, I love him not." She continued on in this manner, picking off the petals one by one… "I love him, I love him not. I love him, –"She paused as she got to the last one, remembering a time when she had done this out of sheer boredom as a child, only using Sportacus instead of herself. Suddenly she felt the slight twinge of guilt come back as she picked off the last petal, sadly saying: "Apparently, I love him not."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Meanwhile, at about the same time back in Lazytown, Sportacus was quite literally jumping for joy. _She doesn't hate me… She's still not herself, but who cares, because she _doesn't _hate _me_. _His thoughts were interrupted as he nearly tripped whilst trying to avoid stepping on a flower bed in the park.

"Oh, woops. I need to pay more attention… It'd be kind of hard to save my own self if _I _got in trouble." He chuckled slightly at the thought, then smiled and picked one of the flowers from the bed, picking the petals off one by one. He paused for a minute, noticing just how silly and childish a thing it was to do, but then began again when he realized he really didn't care.

"She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me, she loves me not." He jumped up to sit on a wall and continued on for several minutes. "She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me, --" He frowned, slightly annoyed by the outcome that his silly little flower was giving him. He felt the slight suspicion come back, and he gave a surprisingly bitter snort as he said: "Probably, she loves me not."

_**I think the title for this one is rather perfect… Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!**_


	15. Villain In Training

Chapter 15: Villain-in-training

One week had passed. True to her word, Dr. Carter had let Stephanie out on Wednesday morning. She even let her skip the wheel chair to avoid an argument. And, oddly enough, Stephanie had been true to her word and done exactly as she was told. So far, anyways. The only bad part was that she seemed to be in an even worse mood than she was in when in the hospital and, consequently, everyone was avoiding her like the plague. Everyone except, of course, for her aunt who had basically taken over the job of Stephanie's mother and was "constantly breathing down her back," (as the evermore grumpy pink one put it.) Right now Stephanie was sitting outside in the park at the suggestion of her aunt, who said it would do her good to get some fresh air and exercise, even though she still had to take it easy. It was getting later, around 7:30 at night, and a lot of the kids were inside by now. A few of them were still playing soccer, but Stephanie was too far away to be noticed by them. They were actually starting to bug her with how loud they were being, but she certainly wasn't about to go home and be ragged on by Bessie.

Sportacus seemed to have already recovered from the incident with Stephanie's mother. Well, maybe not fully, but enough that he was able to save people again. He had actually gone off somewhere again; everyone was still curious as to where exactly he had gone the first time, but no one said anything this time since they had no reason to be worried. He hadn't just run off unannounced again; he had taken his airship after sending one of his brief paper airplane letters to the mayor telling him he would be back by the next day. Stephanie really wouldn't have cared _where _he had gone if it weren't for the fact that she was sure this was part of what he was hiding.

"But what could he be hiding… The man's overly perfect for crying out loud, what could he possibly be doing that's even _worth _hiding." She was talking to herself again, just like Robbie, but she didn't care at that moment. "What if… Could he have," Stephanie gagged, "_met _somebody. _Somebody _outside of Lazytown. No, no, no that's ridiculous. It took him forever just to…" Her eyes opened wide as it dawned on her what _could _have happened. "No, no, no, that's not it either. Can't be. He's never left town _before _now…" She trailed off, shaking her head, and made to go home when Robbie walked up.

"Honestly Pinkie, you're just as bad as he is."

"Shut up, you." She hissed at him, then realized who she was talking to and starting looking around franticly.

"Relax; I wouldn't be talking to you if someone was watching. I'm not stupid."

"Neither am I, which is why I'm being cautious. My aunt's already worried about me because I'm supposedly 'acting funny'." She made quotes in the air with her fingers. "If she sees me talking to you… Well, it certainly won't make things any better."

"What are you, 12? Who cares what your aunt thinks Pinkie." It was more a statement than a question.

"I care if she thinks I've lost my marbles. Knowing her and my mom if she were here they'd have me sent away in a straight jacket."

"And I'm sure you'd be laughing all the way there."

"…" Stephanie gave him an odd look and Robbie just laughed.

"Ok, look, here's rule number one: you shouldn't give a crap whether people think you nuts or not. It doesn't really matter, since most people aren't going to do anything about it anyways." Stephanie glared at him.

"Well I do, I mean… Wait a minute, huh? What rules are you talking about?" Stephanie had stopped glaring at him and now looked confused. Robbie smirked.

"Rules for being a villain of course." Stephanie looked slightly suspicious.

"Not following, Robbie, I don't like where this is going." Robbie shook his head as if he was talking to a small, naïve child.

"I swear you're even more oblivious than Sporta-idiot is… I'm talking about rules for_ you_, now that you're my villain-in-training." Stephanie averted her eyes and shook her head before getting up off the bench.

"That's it, I've had it. Just because I'm helping you, Robbie, doesn't mean anything ok. I'm _not _your 'villain-in-training', alright. I'm not a villain at all. I'd _rather _be the hero. I just…" She paused, taking a moment to actually process what Robbie had said. _The hero? Are sure about that, Steph?... Doesn't seem like it'd be so great anymore, does it? _A strangely sneering voice in her head told her. _Pretending was fun when you were a little girl with a crush but, let's face it big girl, that's not what you want anymore. _Suddenly the soccer ball that the kids had been playing with rolled up to her, stopping right at her feet and shaking her out of her reverie, and of course one of the kids was following right behind.

"What the - ?" Stephanie was suddenly very annoyed. "How the heck did this get here from all the way over there?" She picked up the ball and looked at the boy standing in front of her expectantly. He looked slightly nervously between Robbie and her before responding.

"I'm sorry miss, we were arguing and I threw the ball and… I'm really sorry. Can I just have the ball back so we can finish our game, please?"

"No." She said quite simply. "I don't see why I should. If I give it back you'll just go and play your little game and continue to be as noisy and annoying as before. It's getting late anyways. Shouldn't you annoying kids be going home?" Robbie chuckled.

"I don't know, Pinkie. From where I stand, you make a much better villain than a hero."

"Shut up Robbie."

"PLEASE give me the ball back." The kid piped up again.

"No."

"Yeah, Pinkie, be the sweet little_ hero _that you are and give him the ball back." Robbie's voice was dripping with fake sweetness.

"SHUT UP ROBBIE." Stephanie growled through clenched teeth.

"PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. We have to go in soon." The kid insisted, this time in a whiny voice, and Stephanie had _really _had enough by now. She took the ball in both hands, aimed towards the highest tree she could see, and threw the ball as hard as she could.

"There, the ball is gone and Sporta… Sportacus isn't here to get it for you, so all of you can just shut up and go home." She practically growled at the kid. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then closed it again and smiled in triumph. As if on cue, a familiar blue blur flipped past them all and towards the tree. They had all been so busy arguing that none of them had noticed Sportacus' airship flying back into town, nor did they notice it when the ladder swung down from it and he came climbing down in response to his crystal beeping when Stephanie threw the ball in the tree. He looked up at the tree and smiled at the kid, then flipped backwards, kicking the tree and landing on his feet just in time to catch the ball. The boy smiled in amazement while, unnoticed by Sportacus, Robbie and Stephanie simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Here you go." Sportacus handed the ball to the boy, who smiled even wider in gratitude, then ran off towards the soccer field.

"Hi Stephanie, I – Robbie?... What are you doing out of your lair?" Sportacus looked at Robbie, slightly baffled by the fact that he was outside and apparently talking to Stephanie yet again.

"Oh, I just wanted some fresh air…" Robbie knew it was a lame excuse, but he didn't care.

"_Robbie, _did you throw that ball in the tree?"

"I most certainly did not. It was St…"

"_Robbie." _Sportacus lunged slightly towards Robbie, but Stephanie got in between them before he could.

"It was an accident. The kid kicked it in there totally by accident." This was even lamer that Robbie's excuse, but Sportacus didn't have time to think on it.

"Oh, relax, it's not like he would actually do anything. Everyone knows he would _never _actually hurt anyone." Robbie said darkly. Sportacus opened his mouth to reply but Stephanie cut him off.

"Did you want something?" Stephanie had no desire to talk to Sportacus, or to listen to him and Robbie fight some more, and suddenly going home didn't sound so bad.

"No, nothing." His eyes lingered on Robbie suspiciously for a minute before gazing into Stephanie's. "I was just going to say it's nice to see you outside again. You've been home for a week and you've barely left the house."

"Yeah, well, I still don't feel all that great." She lied smoothly.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. You should come outside more often, though, fresh air and exercise will do you good." He smiled, and at first Stephanie was annoyed at the comment, but then she suddenly noticed something odd about him. He smelled like… Perfume?... Yeah. Not strong, but definitely not _normal _for him.

"Yeah, that's what Aunt Bessie said, and here I am. Hey, it's getting late. You should probably go get to bed." Stephanie managed to sound genuinely sweet.

"Yeah, you're right. See you tomorrow." He shot one last suspicious look at Robbie before running back off towards his airship. Stephanie waited a minute, then abruptly turned on her heels to face Robbie.

"I smelled perfume!"

"What?"

"Perfume! Soft, girly perfume! He's been with a woman!" Her eyes burned with a mixture of anger and, oddly enough, satisfaction. "I knew it. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." A triumphant smile had now crept its way onto her face.

"Are you sure Pinkie." She glared at him.

"Trust me, I wear perfume all the time, I know what it smells like, and I could _definitely _smell it on him."

"Ok, ok. I get it, you're sure. Now we have to figure out whom and where… If we really team up, this could really work a lot better." Stephanie looked at him hard for a moment , then sighed.

"You know what, Robbie Rotten? You are the most terrible, evil, self-centered -!"

"Rotten?" Robbie ventured. She just shook her head. "You know, you're not exactly a saint yourself. I mean you're leading the elf on just so you can break his heart to get him back and drive him out of town because he broke yours, which is, let's face it, pretty selfish. And throwing that soccer ball into a tree just so those kids couldn't get to it was a pretty rotten thing to do, if you ask me -."

"I didn't." She said harshly, and he held up his hands in mock defeat.

"Ok, ok, I know. All I'm trying to say is I think you'd have a lot more fun if you just gave up the good girl act already. Everyone knows us bad guys have more fun anyways."Stephanie just sat there staring at the ground, unable to say anything. He was right, and she knew it. For some strange reason, she just didn't want to admit it. Finally, after quite some time, Robbie got up from the bench. He wanted to go home, and he _was _willing to admit defeat, _this _time anyways.

"Think about it, alright. I'm going home."

" Fine." Stephanie's voice was quiet, but decided.

"Fine? Fine what?"

" 'Fine' as in ' I give up'." Her voice was louder and confident now. " I… I guess I am a lot like you. I'm getting tired of ignoring it to be honest. It's way too much work. I don't know why I care so much. I got bored with the whole 'goody-two-shoes' hero thing awhile ago. So, I give up." She paused momentarily, then a truly evil smirk formed on her lips. " You got yourself a… uh… 'villain-in-training.' But we have to keep up the charade, mind you, for Sportacus' sake."

"Apparently _you're _the one making the rules here, huh?" She glared at him. "Ok, ok. That makes sense anyways."

"And now treating me like some kind of moronic sidekick either. I'm nothing like that and you know it." She still looked very suspicious and wary of him, and he needed to fix that. Truth be told, he was being entirely truthful. He thought she deserved to have some real fun, and he knew that this good girl act of hers wasn't fun for her at all. And, besides, he liked the idea of a woman being around him because _she _wanted to, not because he had found a clever way to force it on her. _A woman? _Oh yes, she was definitely a woman. He had yet to actually think of her as woman, for some strange reason, but it was true. She was a woman. And a rather attractive woman at that. Even with the burns. He sighed in an almost defeated way. He had a bad feeling that she was going to be just as much trouble for him as she was going to be for everyone else. _Well then, we'll just have to deal with that when the time comes, won't we? I mean, since when do you plan ahead further than a day from now… Mmmhhmm, that's what I thought._ He shook his head slightly, then gave her his absent minded reply.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Stephanie."

"Alright then, I th… Wait a minute, what did you just call me?" Robbie looked up dazedly to find Stephanie smirking at him.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" His voice was kind of airy.

"No, you said my name. Not 'kid' or 'Pinkie'. You called me by my name, Stephanie."

"Oh…" He was fully coherent now, and he sneered at her. "Well, whatever, I told you I'm not stupid. I know your real name, I just don't use it." Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever Robbie. Do we have a deal or what?"

"Yeah, kid, we have a deal." He held out his hand and they shook on it. He looked up and they locked eyes for a minute, and he saw… trouble. Pure, villainous, wonderful trouble. It was locked up in her cute, innocent looking body, just waiting to get out. "You know what? I think this could be fun."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Sportacus was back in his air ship, in his bed wide awake, even though he knew he should be sleeping. There were just too many things on his mind for him to sleep. He had, of course, gone back to see Rebecca and her kids and it had, admittedly, been fun. It was weird, actually, because whenever he went there he didn't even remember about Stephanie's mother. He was just as confident as if it had never happened. The kids were rowdy, crazy, and messy, but also cute, sweet, and fairly polite. Rebecca was also a sweet woman, and she tried her hardest to make the kids act some-what normal, but they were an awful crazy bunch and it hadn't gone so well. Sportacus had actually had a lot of fun with the overly active kids, and the only real problems had been the couple of times when Rebecca had tripped over the toys they were playing with. That, of course, had been no big deal though, because Sportacus had quite easily saved her. _I hope Rebecca's perfume didn't rub off on me. If Stephanie smelled it then… Wait a minute, what on earth was she doing with Robbie? _Sportacus sat bolt upright on his bed. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could you not even notice _that_. I mean, seriously who spends time with _Robbie _for no reason. _He jumped out of bed and started pacing. _She's been acting really weird lately. I mean, of all the people she could be spending her time with now that she's home. I mean, Trixie's been talking none stop about how she wants to spend some time with Stephanie. Pixel too, he wants to spend some time with her. Why wouldn't she want to spend some time with them. Robbie probably just has some half brained-scheme up his sleeve. For all I know he's probably trying to pull Stephanie into it… Ok, ok, calm down. _He took a deep breath in and out before jumping back into his bed. _I have to talk to Stephanie tomorrow. Really talk to her, find out what's going on with her. I'm sure she'll tell me why she's been talking to Robbie so much if I just ask her…_

_**Maybe she will, maybe she won't… we'll find out in the next chapter. In the mean time it couldn't hurt for you to leave some reviews.**_


	16. Mom's Awake

Chapter 16: MOM'S AWAKE!!!

Sportacus was exhausted.

He had lain awake in his airship until 12:00 a.m. the night before because he simply couldn't fall asleep, not after the way Stephanie had dodged all his questions the night before, and now he was absolutely exhausted. He could barely even get himself up this morning. It was almost as bad as the time Robbie had given him that noisy baseball and he'd been up _all _night because of it. Not quite as bad, but almost. _I hope these sleepless nights don't happen too often; if start to run out of energy I might just have to…_ but, no, he wouldn't think about that. _Steph would never forgive me if I… _He shook his head, refusing to even think about it. It was now 10:00 a.m., way later than usual for him, and he was frantically trying to get himself some breakfast when…

"I've got mail?!" Sure enough, seconds later he caught the clear mail tube as it shot up through the floor of his airship. It was obviously from Stephanie, and he quickly opened it up, curious as to what she wanted. He unfurled the white piece of paper, and was suddenly hit with an overwhelming feeling of joy, even though it only had two words scribed on it.

'MOM'S AWAKE!!!'

He sprang back into action, forgetting about breakfast and his exhaustion and jumping into the pilot's seat, flying his airship straight towards Sunnytown Hospital…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Stephanie really didn't want to see Sportacus.

It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining. One could easily hear birds chirping in the trees surrounding the hospital if one took the time to listen. And, knowing that her mother was now awake and not brain dead, Stephanie knew that Sportacus was going to be happier and… and… and _flippier _(was that even a word?) than ever. Stephanie really, really didn't want to see Sportacus.

But of course she just _had _to keep up this charade for the sake of her and Robbie's plan, which meant that, of course, as soon as she got the news that her mother was awake she had to be a 'good friend' (yeah, right) and tell Sportacus. And what was worse was that she _knew _that it was going to be awkward, especially after that weird conversation they had had the day before. He was so… so… so _nosy. _He worried too much. Why did he care who she spent her time with. He shouldn't, that was for sure. Stephanie really, really, _really_ didn't want to see Sportacus.

And there he was, bouncing through the doors, looking so happy he could probably fly like a bird if he really tried. He smiled when he saw Stephanie, standing right outside the door to her mother's room in the Intensive Care Unit. She was leaning against the door, waiting for some of the nurses to clear out of the room before she went in, not wanting to get mixed up in all the noisy craziness.

"She's awake." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, merry sunshine, she's awake." Stephanie answered anyway, choosing to be sarcastic to let him know she was still annoyed with him.

"Ok, I figured you'd still be upset with me, but can we do this later?" The smile faded only slightly. Nothing was going to bring him out of his chirpily annoying good mood, not this morning of all mornings.

"Ok, fine, whatever. Let's go inside, I think she wants to see you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Don't know. Think it's good." Stephanie shrugged. Some of the nurses came out and one of them stopped to talk to the pink one and the hero.

"It's not as crowded in there now, I'm sure she'd love to see some familiar faces." They nodded at the nurse, who hurried off after the rest, and then walked into the room. Stephanie was first.

"Hey, mom, h…" She was about to ask how her mom was feeling, but she knew that was a stupid question.

"Oh, hello dear! Oh it's wonderful to see you! Those nurses have been in here all morning, I haven't seen one familiar face since I first woke to find Milford sleeping next to the bed…"

"It's great to see you too, mom, especially since…" She trailed off, but her mother understood.

"It's alright dear, I hardly remember anything. All I remember is walking in to the house and then… nothing. They didn't do a very good job of explaining it either, they only gave me a vague idea." She offered a small smile. Stephanie giggled slightly.

"Mom… how do you do that?"

"Do what, dear?"

"Smile in even the most horrible situations."

"Oh, I don't know. I guess… I've just learned to look at the bright side, that's all." Stephanie shook her head, slightly annoyed at this. It was almost creepy how… at peace her mother was. Surely she _knew _that she would never walk again, right? Surely she knew whose fault that was, that that man was – sort of (Sportacus was off in the corner, finding that he wasn't quite ready to face her) – in the room with them? It was annoying, slightly disturbing even, that her mother was so calm about it all. As though… She shook her head again. _She's alive, you _should_ be happy that you even still have her._ Suddenly Sportacus came to life behind her, apparently having gathered enough courage to face her mother for real.

"Don't worry, I'm not upset with you." Her mother knew what he was feeling – dreading – and she wanted to clear that up right away.

"I… really? You should be." He said this last sentence slowly, realizing how odd it sounded.

"No, I'm not. It wasn't your fault. I was told that you were there, that you did your best. That's all that can be expected I suppose." She smiled.

"Oh, I…" He looked at Stephanie. "I'll leave you too alone. I'm sure you want to talk." And with that, he made his escape. Stephanie shook her head, mumbling something along the lines of 'stupid blue elf', which her mother supposed she wasn't supposed to hear, but she did anyways. _That sounds like something that Rotten fellow would say. _She'd only seen Robbie once or twice, but Stephanie had been very vivid in her explanations of how he acted. She didn't say anything about it though, figuring that Steph and Sportacus were simply fussing for some reason or another and that it was nothing.

"So… They tell me that you're not in much pain. That's good." Her mother sighed.

"No, I'm not. I… can't feel anything below my waste." She looked down sadly.

"I know." Her mother looked back up abruptly, suddenly seeming to be extremely annoyed, almost angry.

"They said I may be able to… With some intense therapy I may regain some control, but I know the truth. I'm not optimistic. It's ok though. I'll get used to it. I'm alive, that's more than enough to keep me going. I'm telling you right now, just as I'm going to tell Milford and everyone else: don't feel sorry for me." It was not a request, not a 'try not to feel sorry for me', no, no, no. This was a firm command. "Worse things have happened. Worse things _could _happen. I don't want anyone's pity just because I'll be stuck in a wheel chair. I'll get around any ways, you know I don't give up that easily." Stephanie nodded.

"Ok, I understand. I… can't guarantee that everyone else will, but I know what you're saying. I would feel the same way if I were you." Her mother's harsh expression got softer.

"I know that. You're a lot like I was at your age you know, so sweet and patient; hardly ever have an unkind word to speak." She smiled, and so did Stephanie, but not for the same reason. Stephanie smiled because… her mother knew nothing. _That _Stephanie was gone, but her mother didn't know that… Suddenly, Stephanie found herself trying desperately not to laugh. It was so funny! Her mother had only been out for a few days, yet she was still the only one who hadn't noticed any major changes in her daughter. Of course, once she got home, it would only be a matter of time before Bessie talked to her about it, but Stephanie didn't care about that. Once Sportacus was gone… well, she really didn't know how things would go after that. If she decided that she liked being the 'villain' and she stayed with Robbie, then she guessed that she would have to make her decision known to everyone else. She was sure everyone would, at the very least, stop worrying about her if she explained everything to them. They may not like her decision, but she didn't care about that, either. _I guess, really, I'm just making this up as I go._

"Steph? Stephanie, dear, is something wrong?" Mrs. Meanswell seemed worried suddenly at the odd expression on her daughter's face.

"Hmm?" Stephanie jumped slightly, shaken out of her reverie. "Oh, no, mom, I'm fine. Just thinking about something." She turned her head momentarily, taking a deep breath in and out to calm herself, then she looked back to her mother, who suddenly had a very suspicious look on her face.

"Are you, by any chance, thinking of Sportacus?" This question startled Stephanie, she hadn't expected her mother to say anything further about Sportacus.

"I… No, I'm not. I was actually thinking about something else." _Dang it, Steph, how could you lie to your own mother…_ if it were anyone else, she wouldn't have cared, but this was her _mother_… _well, technically I wasn't thinking about him in particular. _

"Don't you dare lie to me." Mrs. Meanswell's tone was accusatory.

"I'm not mom, I promise." Suddenly her mother's stomach growled, so loud it was easy to hear, and Stephanie smiled. "I know how that goes. I'll go get one of the nurses; make you endure the nasty hospital food." Mrs. Meanswell shook her head as Stephanie walked out.

"What am I going to do with that girl?"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_Ok, why am I doing this again?_ _I mean, surely there's a better way… _Stephanie was walking toward the entrance to Robbie's lair, suddenly unsure of why she was really headed there in the first place_…_

"Oh, yeah, because I need to talk to him, to tell him that I can't keep up this act around Sportacus for much longer. Besides, it can't hurt since I can't seem to stop thinking of him…" She shook her head as she headed up to the 'secret' entrance.

"You know, this would be much easier if he had a _door _instead of…" She trailed of as she knocked on the top of the tube.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Robbie had spent the last hour and a half working on… well he wasn't really sure what this invention of his was supposed to be, but it was something to work on none the less, and working on his inventions helped him think, and right now that was exactly what he really needed to do: think. He couldn't seem to get his mind off of Pinkie, for some strange reason, and he figured that if he deliberately thought about her… Well, it probably wouldn't help, but still, he'd found that he liked thinking of her…

"Agh." Robbie screamed and fell off of his stool at the sound of… Was that someone knocking?

He got up from where he'd fallen and walked slowly over to the tube leading into his lair… _could it possibly be… who else _would _it be?_

"Hello? Who's there?" He forced himself to sound annoyed, just in case.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Stephanie had to stifle a giggle when she heard the faint crash coming from inside; obviously she had startled Robbie and he had fallen from… wherever he had been. Either that or he had knocked something over.

"Hello? Who's there?" She could tell that Robbie was trying to sound annoyed.

"Robbie, it's… It's Stephanie. Can I come down?"

"I, uh, I guess so." The faked annoyance was gone now; in fact, he sounded almost happy to hear her voice.

"Ok, here I come." She yelled back down, then mumbled to herself. "Here goes nothing." And jumped into the tube.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~  
Robbie couldn't believe that it actually was Stephanie. That she actually _wanted _to see him…

He felt somewhat dazed as he told her that she could come down, like it wasn't really him that was talking. He stepped aside absently mindedly to get out of her way, then chuckled slightly when she screamed on her way down. He chuckled even more when she landed upside down, facing him, in his fuzzy orange chair.

"Wow, that was… interesting." Stephanie was laughing too. "Hmmm, this chair is comfy." Robbie walked over to her, apparently trying to feign annoyance again since he stood in front of her look rather perturbed. Stephanie stopped laughing and returned the look, trying to get up off of the chair, but failing miserably.

"You know… You _could _help me here instead of just standing there like a jerk and looking like I'm intruding or something. You did _tell _me I could come in… I mean down." Robbie raised an eyebrow, then started laughing again, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Jeez, Pinkie, no need to be so mean." His tone was extremely sarcastic as he held out his hand to her.

"Robbie Rotten you… never mind, I've told you that before anyways." She took his hand and somehow managed to pull herself up without falling.

"Ok, Pinkie, why exactly are you here?"

"I… Well, mainly I'm here because I need to talk to you about Sportacus." Robbie gave her a funny look, but she just shrugged and kept talking. "Don't give me that look… I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. Pretending like I still care about him is starting to seem impossible. Every time I see him he does _something _that annoys the heck out of me."

"Oh, well, I doubt you'll have to. That stupid blue elf is so gullible, it shouldn't take too much longer."

"Well… I don't know…"

"Wait, a minute Pinkie, I have an idea. How far are you willing to take this?"

"What do you mean?"

"How far? I mean, do you think you could fool him into thinking that your really still –" Robbie blanched, but spat out the words any way, "_in love _with him? If it would get him out of here forever?"

"I don't know, it wouldn't be easy." Stephanie tried to glare at Robbie, but the look was softened by her curiosity as to what he had in mind. "But, I'll bite. What exactly are you thinking?"

"Well… It's obvious what he wants. He wants –," again, Robbie blanched, "well, he wants to make you his, officially, if you know what I mean." Stephanie stared at him, slightly bewildered for a second. Then her eyes opened wide as she realized exactly what he was saying.

"You mean… _Marriage_." She spat out the word unwillingly.

"Yes, Pinkie, he wants you to be his wife, disgusting as it sounds. If you pretend like you've realized your still in love with him or something like that… Well, it won't be too long probably, before he, uh, pops the question."

"Ok, but what then?" Robbie shook his head at the oblivious pink one.

"_Then _you say 'no.' It's just that simple. You say no, tell him some made up story about how you don't really love him, you just felt sorry for him for some strange reason. He'll fall to pieces and –," Robbie snapped his fingers here, "be outta town in the blink of an eye."

"You know… That just might work. Ok, I'll do my best. I'm not making any promises, though, I don't know how close I can get to him without freaking out or something."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do just great, Pinkie. You're quite the devious little actress when you want to be." At this, Stephanie did a mock bow.

"Thank you, thank you very much." _This is going to be great!_

* * *

_**Well, we'll see about that in the next chapter. In the mean time, review please! I'm not sure if I've kept Robbie in character or not, so I would really love some feedback on that.**_

_**Sorry it took me so long to update… I had some trouble with this chapter, but I think it turned out alright. I'll try to post the next chapter sooner.**_


	17. Blurred Lines and Alcohol

Chapter 17: Blurred lines and Alcohol Equals: Disaster

It took a while for it to finally sink in… what she had just agreed to, that is.

Stephanie was home now, making herself a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or trying to at least. She was getting seriously annoyed; the grill on the stove was taking forever to heat up. She sighed in frustration as her stomach growled, begging her for some food. She had looked for a quicker fix to said problem, but all she found was fresh fruit and some veggies in the fridge. She wasn't in the mood for either. So she (and her stomach) would just have to wait a minute.

She sat down at the kitchen table, deciding she needed a minute to think anyways. She was home alone; the house was pin-drop quiet. Perfect, in Steph's opinion. She stared at the wall absently, her mind wandering to Robbie and the plan (more like scheme, actually) they had (well, he had really) cooked up. It was… horrible. Devious. Diabolical, really… Sportacus would never know what hit him. It was just plain… rotten. It was – _a little too far, perhaps? _An oddly sad, maybe even disappointed voice in her head said.

"What? After everything that stupid blue elf's done? All the times he's screwed up? No, it's not too far. Just far enough maybe, but not too far." She spoke the response aloud, not expecting an answer.

_Are you sure about that._

Stephanie jumped as the voice actually responded, falling of the chair in the process. _Oh that's just so typical of you, now isn't Robbie-ette_… "Wait, what?" She squeaked.

_You heard me, big girl. Falling of chairs is just so… you now. Typical. And this 'scheme' of yours? Yeah, it's ridiculous and you know it._

"No, it's not. It's perfect. _He'll _finally be gone."

_Think Steph, think. Do you _really _want him gone forever? _

"I- I'm talking to the voice in my head… and i-it's responding! Oh, great, now I really _have _lost my marbles… So who are you, anyways? Or what…?"

_I'm not really a 'who', or a 'what' for that matter. I'm your subconscious, and I've been trying to get through to you for days now. By the way, that doesn't answer my question._

"I'm not going to answer that question… My subconscious? I… didn't know that subconsciouseseses, uh, actually had voices… I mean, a-a-actually _talked_."

_Well, they don't for normal people. But this (Well, I, really) am special. You see… I'm the _'real' _you, so to speak. The you that is watching you act the way you've been acting and is absolutely disgusted by it. And you don't have to. I can hear your conscious thoughts. I can also force the right answer into them, if I want._

"Wow, the real me is a… bitch…" Stephanie mumbled to herself, not thinking about the fact that her subconscious could hear her anyways.

_Hey! Watch your mouth! Cursing is uncalled for no matter what… not to mention hurtful._

"Hahaha, you sound like Sporta -… Sporta… Well, you know who!" She couldn't think of any insulting names right now, and she couldn't bring herself to say his real name.

_Oh yes I do. Sportacus. Can't quite say his name? I know why you're having so many mixed emotions about him. I also know the real you would never – that I would never – curse. I also wouldn't care about money the way you do. I also would have preferred fresh fruit or veggies as a snack to a grilled sandwich._

"Oh, shut up. W-w-why should I care what you think?"

_Because. I know what I'm talking about._

"Wait, how? I mean, I have no clue what you're even talking about, and if you're my subconscious…"

_Well, you already knew all this stuff. You knew from birth. It's just… been locked away in this brain of yours. That is, it was until now._

"…"

_Look, first of all, we need to get a few things straight. Number 1: you're not crazy. I… well, there's a lot about us and where we come from and… our dad that you don't know. About Sportacus too. About Robbie, even. About what he is – what our dad was, and what you (we, really) are… I'll explain more about that later, but all you need to know for now is that I'm perfectly normal… For what, uh, we are._

"I… well that's just lovely." Her tone was sarcastic at first, then it turned a little more serious. "It's also kind of good to know. I'll leave it for now; I don't think I can take any more big surprises at this point, but promise me you'll explain later."

_Promise me you'll try to stop thinking you're crazy and I will… alright, that said, there's something big you need to know about Robbie._

"Oh, joy… What's that?"

_He gave you a potion of some sort. It's clouding your judgment. It's what made you lock me away. (That's not an easy thing to do, by the way. You were born to be a hero, you know, not a villain.) It's also what's making the… let's see, how should I put this… It's making the lines between what's good and what's bad, what's right and what's wrong, blurry. _

"Blurry? What do you mean by that? And I was _born_ to be a hero? What's that supposed to mean… I'm so confused."

_Yeah, blurry. It's making things like… oh, I don't know… pretending that you love someone (that you actually do still care for, by the way) just so he'll ask you to marry him and you can say no and give him some lame story about why just so he'll leave and never want to come back (which you really don't want to happen). It's making things like that seem ok, perfectly acceptable, when in reality they aren't. And I mean just what I said. You were born to be a hero. It's your choice, of course, but I doubt you really want to go down the road you're choosing now. At least, hopefully you won't when I'm done with you._

"Whoa, now, that's where I draw the line. I… know Robbie's devious, but he'd never do that. Never. And I haven't done anything out of the ordinary, so I don't know what you're talking about."

_Normal! Ha! Yeah, right! You're acting like you're the bad guy – erg, girl. That's not you, and you know it isn't, so stop pretending. Oh, and, come now Steph. You know darn well he would._

"Let me guess, you think the potion is affecting my judgment on that too."

_Well, as for the first thing, yes. As for the second… No, I know what's affecting your judgment there, and it's got nothing to do with some stupid potion… But I'll explain that later too. We have to get you back on the straight and narrow first._

"Straight and narrow? Now you sound like Jim Gordon off of the old Batman shows."

_Well, it's true. You've turned down the wrong path, so to speak, and we have to get you back on the right one before… well, that really doesn't need to be explained at all. Look… _the voice stopped talking for a minute when Stephanie got up, turned off the steaming grill, and walked out the door. _Where are you…?_

She was heading back towards Robbie's, mumbling to herself. "Maybe Robbie will know how to get rid of this bothersome voice…"

_You can't get _rid _of me. That's not possible unless… well, I'll explain that later too. But you really shouldn't go to Robbie's. He's the root of the problem here, and his little 'lair' is the worst place for you to be right now. Not to mention the fact that I have a bad feeling trouble's on its way…_

"Oh, shut up, will you? I'm going, no matter what you say…"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"I'VE GOT IT!!!!"

Sportacus nearly fell of the bar he was hanging onto, having spent the past 15 minutes or so doing pull ups (he'd gotten to about 200) before he'd had his little epiphany just now. He now jumped down, suddenly deciding he needed to go visit Robbie, NOW. Unfortunately, it would take a while to get back to Lazytown, as he was in Loonytown now, having just visited Rebecca and her kids. He had planned to go straight back afterwards, as usual, but then decided to stay… for no reason, really. He just wanted to stay, hovering over her house for a while. It was starting to feel weird, being apart from her… but, of course there was no time for that now. And it had been foolish of him to stay anyways. He was Lazytown's hero, he should be there.

He hopped into his pilot's seat and went as fast as he could. He really needed to talk to Robbie, to get some answers from the man, _real, straight, _answers. Because if Robbie had done what Sportacus thought he had done… If he'd given Stephanie some sort of potion… a potion that would override her real feelings… override the _real _Stephanie, well, then Stephanie was probably thinking she was losing her mind right about now. _I can't believe Robbie would even think about… I mean, he knows that it's _her _decision, no one else's. Neither of us is allowed to interfere……_

He shook his head as he zoomed ahead at full speed towards Lazytown.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Unfortunately, even at top speed it took Sportacus about 45 minutes to get back. There were some thunder storms… he had to go around them, and it had taken him a lot more time than usual to get home. Thankfully, it wasn't raining in Lazytown, so he glided easily to his usual spot above Town Hall and immediately jumped down and out, making a hasty run towards Robbie's.

He was not at all prepared for what he would face when he got there.

He knocked on the entrance several times, but no one answered really, although he thought he heard a rather mumbled – slurred, almost – voice say 'go away'. So, he jumped down, assuming Robbie just didn't want to talk to anyone, or was sleeping. He really didn't care about either at this particular moment.

He slid down, landing not-very-gracefully on his bum. He got up quickly though, and squinted slightly since it was rather dark in the room. His eyes adjusted quickly, though, and what he saw when they did absolutely shocked him.

Stephanie was… sitting on Robbie's lap. In his big, fuzzy, orange chair. They were making out, hands roaming carelessly over one another's bodies. _Oh. My. God._

Neither of them seemed to notice him, either that or they just didn't care. Probably the latter, Sportacus realized with disgust, since he could smell the liquor they had apparently been drinking from a mile away. _Oh, no. That's it. Now I know Robbie gave her something…This has gone too far!_

He picked up an empty bottle of… whiskey? And, suddenly acting on impulse, threw it against the wall angrily. It shattered instantly, and the sound was intensified by the ringing of the mettle wall that he had thrown it against. Both Robbie and Stephanie jumped; Stephanie fell off of Robbie and hit the floor with a soft thud. Both of them just stared at Sportacus, both looking like they had been at least a little sobered by Sportacus' uncharacteristically aggressive gesture.

Stephanie stood up and walked – stumbling slightly – towards Sportacus. She tried to reach out and grab his arm, but he snatched it away, moving aside so that she just ran into the wall.

"Humph. Had a bit much to drink, Stephy dear?" His voice sounded foreign, even to him. It was harsh, slightly teasing, and bitter.

"I… Shportacus? Whass wrong with you?" Her words were a little slurred. Sportacus was getting angry. He hadn't been truly angry in a long time, but he couldn't seem to keep the insanely strong emotion away now. _You shouldn't have too. You have every right to being upset. Her behavior has been despicable lately, and this is just the icing on the sugary, poisonous cake._

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? Robbie, don't even think about it." Sportacus' voice got ominously harsher as he looked at Robbie, who had gotten up from his chair, not nearly as out of it as Stephanie, and was walking towards her. Robbie stopped immediately, sensing, with utter shock, an actual threat in the enraged hero's voice. A threat and… something else. Something in his eyes. Something that said 'I can be dangerous when I want to be, so you'd better back off.' It was a sort of darkness almost. _But Sportacus chose… no. No, that's not possible._

"Nothin'ss wrong. I juss… juss…" Stephanie was trying desperately to clear her mind, but she just couldn't think straight enough to give him and answer, to explain to him about the voice and how she thought she was losing her mind... Sportacus just shook his head. He didn't look like he normally did either. The expression he held on his face… it was not a caring expression. It was an enraged, annoyed, and almost embarrassed one.

"Don't even try and give me an excuse." He held up his hand for emphases. "I don't want one. You're coming with me. _Now." _Suddenly, giving Stephanie no time for a reaction, he lunged forward, grabbing Stephanie by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder.

"What the…? NO!!! I can… will explain… juss shtop it you big brute… get your hanss off me!!!" She beat uselessly on his back, trying to make him put her down, but he just kept going. Robbie ran after him. Of course, he couldn't do anything, and he knew that. But he was going to try anyways…

"Hey, stop it you big blue idiot! She didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh, really?! She's out of her mind, in case you haven't noticed. I mean… well, you'd have to be stupid not to see what she's done wrong. I'm taking her home, and _you_ better stay here." There it was again, that – that – that _darkness _in his eyes. Something totally foreign, that shouldn't be there. Robbie didn't like it. It gave him the sense… the sense that he should keep Stephanie away from Sportacus. That he should _protect _her from him. But he hadn't had that sense in so long… he wasn't sure how to act on it. Or, for that matter, why it was there. I mean, he was her protector, not the one she needed protection _from._ Oh he _wanted_ to help, too, oddly enough; Stephanie was possibly the only person he'd make a effort to protect from anyone. But he just didn't know if he had the guts too. He had a very bad feeling that Sportacus _would actually _hurt him if Robbie gave him a reason too. _What's going on with you, Sporty?_

"It's – it's my fault. I gave her the alcohol. Spiked her drink. Didn't take much before she _wanted_ more… and, well, it was all downhill from there." Sportacus just started at him for a second, then he put Stephanie down, (he had to force himself to do it gently), and walked slowly towards Robbie.

"You _spiked her drink_. _Got _her drunk. So what? You could take advantage of her? That is _low_, even for _you _Robert Rotten." Robbie flinched at the sound of his full name being used. Sportacus was _not _playing around anymore, _that much_ was for certain. He flinched again when he saw the huge muscles in his arms flex; could Sportacus _actually _be planning to _hit _him. That would be a first…

"N-no, I didn't want to take advantage of her. She was uptight, really jumpy, and I-I just wanted her to relax. I didn't give her much at first; the way she is now… that was her choice entirely, I swear it."

"You shouldn't have given her any in the first place. And why would she come to you anyways? I mean, if something weird is happening with her, _you're _more likely to be the cause of it." Robbie snorted slightly.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because everyone else thinks she's lost it and _you_… you're never around anymore."

"Oh, that's it, Robbie!!!" Sportacus roared, suddenly raising a fist. Robbie stumbled backwards, putting his hands up in a weak defense.

"What are you going to do?! Hit me?! Go ahead. Give her another reason to dislike you." Sportacus lowered his hand just as abruptly as he had raised it and his expression went from aggressive and angry to scared and slightly disturbed, as if he had just now realized how he was acting; realized that he'd nearly lost control there.

"I-I-I, uh, Ihaveto, uh, I mean I…" he turned around and draped a now dazed-looking Stephanie back over his shoulder. "Come, uh, come on Stephanie. We're leaving." Stephanie shook her head slightly and mumbled something about not wanting to leave.

"I… You can come back tomorrow if you'd like. I know how to make even the nastiest hangovers feel better…" Sportacus looked over his free shoulder.

"Stay away from her Robbie." It was not a suggestion, not a 'you'd better stay away from her Robbie'. It wasn't even a threat. What it was was a promise. And Robbie knew there was nothing more he could do now. He knew Stephanie would be back tomorrow, if she really wanted to see him. And if not… Well, Robbie was used to being lonely. He'd be fine either way… Or, at least that's what he tried to tell himself…

_**Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in forever. Couldn't figure out what to do next, and then school started and I just haven't had time. I'll do my best to post the next chapter sooner…**_

_**I know you're probably getting confused at this point, because nothing's really being explained. But I will explain things soon, so just stay with me and REVIEW!!!**_


	18. Princess Stephanie the Hero

_**Ok, so this is a fast update for me, but I knew exactly what I wanted to write for this chapter and I thought it would make up for the wait…**_

Chapter 18: Princess Stephanie the Hero

The night ended just as crazily as it had begun… Well, it did for Sportacus and Stephanie anyways.

Sportacus was making his way to the mayor's house, thinking that that was, logically, the place to take Stephanie. She was still protesting, and beating on his back, but he didn't falter at all (although it did hurt, oddly enough. Stephanie was a lot stronger than she realized.) Finally, annoyed, hurt, incredibly angry, and frustrated, Sportacus sat Stephanie down on a bench, hoping that she would be too out of it to go anywhere while he tried to keep his own head screwed on straight.

"I wanna go back to Robby'sss" She whined like a child.

"You're not going anywhere unless it's home."

"Well, why? You can't control me, it'sss not fair."

"Stephanie… just stop talking please."

"Well, then let me go where I wanna go Shportacus." Her slurred voice only served to make Sportacus more annoyed. _You have to calm down. _A cool, calm voice in his head told him. _You haven't lost it like this in a long time… You don't want Stephanie to see you lose control…. On second thought, she's so drunk she probably won't remember it._ His voice went from calm and collected to sneering and brutal on this last thought.

Suddenly Stephanie stood up, swaying on her feet, and tried to head back towards Robbie's. Sportacus was in front of her in seconds, though, and he picked her up and set her back down on the bench before she could even say a word.

"You're going back to your uncle's and that's final."

"Will you shtop treating me like a kid?"

"Stop acting like one and maybe I will Stephanie." She rolled her eyes in response; she didn't even seem to care about what he had to say.

"And, of course, you don't care about what I have to say, do you?! What's the matter with you?! First you're telling me you love me and that you want me to love you back. Then you say you hate me and never want to see me again. Then you stop eating fruit or doing anything healthy and starting acting… lazy and just plain mean. Then you start spending time with Robbie, and then you all of a sudden tell me that you're sorry and you still care about me and that you don't hate me. Then I get the strangest and most absurd idea that you're scheming with him, which I'm starting to think isn't so strange and absurd after all. Then the next thing I know you're apparently visiting him in his lair for drinks and… Who knows what else. Seriously, what has gotten into you? No one, not even me or Trixie, knows how to deal with you anymore. It's getting to the point where… I honestly don't think we – I – can trust you anymore."

"Truss me?" Suddenly Stephanie looked hurt. And she truly was. Something about Sportacus telling her that… _it's juss the alcohol you idiot… you don't care 'bout him no more._ Stephanie knew this was true. It had to be, otherwise she wouldn't be helping Robbie get rid of him... _No, it's not true. Not at all. You've got to stop pretending that it is. _She recognized the voice of her subconscious; a small, sober voice that seemed to be whispering in her ear."I – I…" She didn't know what to say.

"See Stephanie? You can't even think straight."

"I'm thinking shtraight…" Sportacus laughed bitterly.

"No, you're not. You're out of your mind."

"No no no, I'm fine. Imma show you…" She got up again, but tripped over her own two feet and fell before she could really 'show' him anything. _What's wrong with me? I know I had a bit mucsh to drink, but not _thiss _much… _and again, the calm, sober, quiet voice whispered in her ear. '_Nope. You had enough that you let your guard down, and I did the rest…' But, why? 'Because now Sportacus is going to have to take care of you, one way or another…' Wait, what d'ya mean by that. 'You'll see…'_

Sportacus, on the other hand, just blinked at her when she fell, his face flushing with anger. He yelled something in a foreign language that Stephanie didn't understand, but was positive that she had heard before, then turned around and punched the brick wall that was behind him so hard his fist went right through it. Then, without any warning, suddenly looking more like some sort of loose cannon villain than the seemingly perfect hero that he actually was, he grabbed Stephanie, draping her back over his shoulder again, and started running (yes, I said running) towards the mayor's house.

Stephanie didn't fight back. She could feel her body starting to slow down, her mind starting to slip into unconsciousness from the alcohol (or, from the supposed affects of it anyway) and from the shock of everything that had happened, everything she'd seen Sportacus do and nearly do. Suddenly, only one thing mattered, and that was that she didn't go to her uncle's. It had really only occurred to her just then, but she didn't want her aunt and uncle and mother seeing her like this. It just… well, it wasn't something they needed to see…

"Shport… Shportacus… don't take me… home…" Sportacus actually rolled his eyes slightly, as she wasn't making any sense at all anymore.

"Well, where else do you propose I take you then."

"I don't care… juss don't let 'em shee me… like…" She finally gave up and passed out. Sportacus sighed. _Well, what do I do now, then? The only other option is…_ He glanced towards his airship, hovering over town hall. She had a point. No one at the mayor's house needed to see her like this. _Oh, you've got to be…_The only problem would be getting her up the ladder, but even that could be done without _too _much difficulty. _I mean, she's going to be so angry when she wakes up with a nasty hangover, staring at the bright white ceiling of my… 'big blue blimp', or at least I think that's how she put it. But… well, she'd thank me for it in the end, I know that much for certain. And… even if she has been acting weird, she _is _still my beautiful girl, Stephanie._

"Alright Steph. I… I guess you can stay with me…" And, in one swift move, he was turned around and heading at a slower speed towards his airship.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

It was late by the time Sportacus got Stephanie into his airship and into his bed; nearly 10:00… Ok, so it was late for him anyways. Especially since he hadn't been sleeping well lately. His body was begging him for a full night's sleep, every muscle exhausted from the lack of rest. _I might just have to… but I'll make that decision tomorrow. Right… now… I just… need… sle -… _He was out before he could even finish that thought, sleeping soundly on the futon he'd arranged in the middle of the airship to be his bed.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

He slept until about 9:00 the next morning, when he woke up to the mail tube landing right by his head.

He jumped at first, bolting upright, but then he relaxed a little, with the realization of what was going on.

"I've got mail?" he yawned. "That's odd… Wait, what time is it?" he mumbled this to himself, only half awake, and went to open the tube. Inside, he found a brief letter from one of the Lazytown kids, wondering where he was and if he was coming… _Oh, right, the basket ball game…_ _but it can't be that late already._ He never slept past 7. But… the sun was shining pretty bright. He was still extremely tired though…

"What time is it?" He directed it quietly at the computer this time, remembering Stephanie sleeping in his bed just a few feet away. The computerized voice answered him promptly, telling him it was 9:15a.m. _Oh, boy. I _really _overslept._ Suddenly he jumped and started to hurriedly, but quietly, put the futon away. _I really don't want to wake Stephanie…_ Too late. Just as this thought crossed his mind, Stephanie's eyes shot open, and she was screaming in anger within seconds.

"NOOOOO!!! No-ho-ho! Agh!" She brought her hands up to her throbbing head. "You've got to be _kidding _me!!!"

"Stephanie, calm down! Please…"

"Don't tell me to calm down, you stupid… idiot… big blue kidnapper!!!!" She tried to get up, but wound up falling right of the bed. She got up quickly, though, and started stomping her way to Sportacus… She didn't get very far though. She stepped on one of the panels on the floor of the airship, and a soccer ball came flying out, hitting her right in the head.

"Oh. My! GOD!" She shrieked. "You've GOT to be KIDDING me!" Sportacus just sighed, shaking his head. _How did I know it was going to be like this._

"Computer, lock all controls until I give further notice." He turned to Stephanie. "Stephanie, please, you asked me to take you here… Well, technically you didn't ask me to take you _here_, but you _did _ask me not to take you to your uncle's."

"I don't remember that… Wait, so you brought me here?!"

"Well, where else was I supposed to bring you, Stephanie? And of course you don't remember, you were so drunk you passed out before I could even get you to your uncles."

"I don't know, how about anywhere but here? And no I… Wait, what? I… I don't drink." She looked bewildered for a moment, then her expression changed to one of anger, as if she thought he was lying. "Don't you dare lie to me."

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry." He decided to take a different approach. " Now, please, just sit down and relax for a seco –." He was cut off abruptly as she started walking away. "Where are you going?"

"First of all, don't patronize me, Sportacus. I'm not stupid, nor am I oblivious. And second of all, anywhere but – whoa, hold on, I'm spinning." She leaned up against a wall as a sudden wave of dizziness over took her.

"Steph… maybe you should stay here for a while –."

"No, I'm going… to Robbie's. He told me to come back if I wanted right? I know I remember him saying that."

"Well, yeah he did, but I don't want you around him." Sportacus' expression suddenly turned ominously dark. Stephanie just blinked. "Seriously Steph. He's… no good for you. You should know that. And besides, you're not thinking clearly. You're dizzy and you can't even see straight. Just sit down for a minute please."

"I'm sorry, but you can't tell me what to…" She trailed off as her subconscious suddenly mumbled _and 5, 4, 3, 2, 1_ and images of the night before raced through her head. "You… You almost hit him. You were going to… You were so… so… so _angry._ You put your hand straight through a brick wall. I've never seen you so upset. Never seen you s-so _violent_." Sportacus suddenly looked worried.

"Oh, boy."

"I don't understand. Surely me acting like an idiot… I mean, that couldn't have been enough to make you lose control… a-at least not like that."

"I don't know Steph… I-I don't know, but I _do _have idea."

"Oh, really. Well, then… I'll stay if you explain. And I mean _everything_."

"Everything? What do you …?"

"I mean just that. _Everything. _I'm starting to get a feeling… this is about more than just me getting a little too cozy with Robbie, which was a mistake by the way. A big one. I'm already regretting it." Sportacus just blinked at her.

"I-I… Really?"

"Yes. Really." It was true, oddly enough.

"Well… I… How do you know there's more going on."

"Quite frankly, because I'm hearing a voice in my head that says she's the 'real' me, but I'm perfectly sane as far as I can tell. That's why I went to Robbie's last night, by the way. I thought… well, I didn't know what to do. And then I think he put something in my drink…"

"Yeah, he did. Whiskey. Strong stuff… I'm surprised you didn't notice. I mean, I _know _you're smarter than that." He leaned up against the wall, sighing as he allowed his legs to give out so he could slide down to a sitting position. "I suppose an explanation is… long overdue by now."

"No, you think." Stephanie chuckled at her own sarcasm, sitting down in the same position, now straight across the room from him. "You can start by explaining what happened to you last night."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure myself. All I really know is… Well I think there's something beginning to take over me… it's hard to explain what I mean, all I know is that whatever _it _is, it's dark and it's powerful and it's definitely _not _good."

"A dark, powerful, _something_? Well… if that's true, can't you get rid of it?"

"Well… alright, just to warn you, what I'm about to start explaining is going to sound extremely crazy to you. Like something you hear about in books and movie's and even fairy tales."

"Sportacus…" _wow, second time you've said his name in who knows how long. See, we're already getting somewhere big girl. _She told her 'real' self to shut up in her thoughts, then started talking again. "I've lived most of my life in what most people would consider to be a fairy tale. That and… I've always known that I'm different. And it's obvious that whatever's going on has a lot to do with me. So, I mean, it might be nice to know exactly _why _I'm different."

"I know what you mean about living in a fairy tale, but trust me, you haven't seen anything yet. And you're right. You're very different. I mean, half of your genes come from a full blooded hero."

"Wait… What?"

"You're father wasn't a business man. He was… well he was a hero. Like me. The area he protected was in Europe."

"A hero?" She sounded out the word hero one letter at a time. "Like you? You mean… big, and strong, and _flippy_ like you? If that's true… Then where did the money come from?"

"Well… first of all, flippy isn't a word, and second of all yes. He was. And, technically, so are you, or at least you should be. Haven't you ever noticed? You're much stronger than most girls. Faster too. Much more athletic. Amazing at sports…"

"Wait, wait, wait, _wait!!! _I-I'm not a hero. I'm not anything. I'm just _Stephanie,_ plain and simple. And you didn't answer my other question."

"Well… Whether you like it or not, you are a hero. Or at least you are _now_, but that can change. It's up to you, really. And as for the money, well, ah, that's really something your mother should explain, I mean…"

"Sportacus, you and I both know she won't, so stop beating around the bush and just tell me."

"Alright, here it goes… You're father… Well, first of all, he was my brother. And second of all… You and me are both direct descendants of the royal family… the family that governs our people. That's where the money comes from. They've always been looking out for you and you're mother, ever since… Well, I believe the name you're mother knew him by was Jacob. Ever since he died, my parents, your grandparents, have been looking out for you both. They were going to send word soon, saying that they wanted to bring you to, uh, Iceland."

"Wait, why would I want to go see them. I mean… Why is all happening just now? I don't understand, I'm so confused."

"Stephanie… Well, the reason they want to see you is because I've refused to take the throne. I'm not the type of person to be a king… and you would be next in line for it. Stephanie… You're a, uh, well, a princess…"

_**Alright, so, I actually know where I'm going with this now, and it's really going to get interesting. Updates won't be so far apart now, I'm sure, since I suddenly seem to know exactly how the next chapters are going to go even before I sit down to write them… Oh, well, don't mind me. I'm just over excited and being weird. Review please!**_


	19. Powers

_**I haven't done this since the first chapter, I think, but I do not own Lazytown or any of its characters. Although, I sometimes wish I did…**_

Chapter 19: Powers

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA! Just rewind and STOP!" Stephanie did not like what she was hearing, not one bit. She was no princess. She was just plain old Stephanie Meanswell. Being anything more was… just too much to wrap her mind around. "You and me CANNOT be related. I mean… It just can't be. And I CANNOT be a princess. I am Stephanie Meanswell, plain and simple. And, I mean… how could you have fallen in love with me knowing that I'm your niece? You're not even making sense…"

"I didn't know you were my niece until just a couple days ago. And, to be honest, it helped me realize why I could never tell you…" He trailed off as Stephanie's expression changed, as if something had just dawned on her.

"That's why… I always felt this sort of barrier between us. Like there was a reason we weren't together. I just figured it was because of your stupid pride, but…" Sportacus nodded.

"Yeah… That's why."

"Wait, so, I have to go to, uh, Iceland now?"

"Yes, unfortunately, you do. You see… Well, you wouldn't have even had to find out about all of this if I had agreed to take the throne. You would have gone on basically being oblivious to your true heritage. But… Now, you're going to have to choose… Steph, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with any of this, I mean –."

"Wait, sorry for what?" Stephanie cut him off, asking more questions. "What do I have to choose? I'm so confused…"

"I know… Well, I already told you that your father was a full blooded hero. That means that all of his abilities as a hero, things like his strength, his speed, and even his powers have been passed down to you." He was speaking slower now, giving Stephanie time to really think about what he was saying.

"Powers? What kind of 'powers'?"

"Well… I could probably _show _you better than I could _tell _you, but I don't want to waste too much energy on it."

"Waste energy? You usually have too _much _energy." Stephanie chuckled slightly, but it sounded more nervous than amused.

"Not lately. I've been having trouble sleeping… but that's not important right now. The just of it is that our people –."

"Is there an actual name for it, uh, I mean…"

"I… Well, the closest English analogy to what we're called would be elves, oddly enough… But, we have powers. Most people would say they're paranormal, others would say it's 'magic', but they just come naturally to us… Well, most of the time anyways. You see, the, uh, well, 'genes' that make up the part of you that is a hero, the part you got from your father; the part of you that's not human, have been fairly inactive up until now because no one's done anything to stir them up and make your powers come in to play. But… Well, as I'm sure you've already figured out, Robbie gave you a potion. It has changed your entire way of thinking, and it's pushed the 'real' you to the back burner; your subconscious. That's the voice you've been hearing, by the way, so you're not crazy. Just extremely misguided."

"I… I… I, uh, oook. I-I guess that makes sense. I mean, that certainly does sound like Robbie. But I haven't noticed any powers…"

"Maybe not directly, but they have become active. Did the doctors ever tell you that you healed fast? After everything you went through, I mean."

"Yeah, Dr. Carter did say something to that effect."

"Mhm, exactly. You'll probably start to really notice them now that you know about them." _Dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum._ Stephanie's subconscious apparently knew what was coming next, because she seemed to be building up to a drum role.

"Well, alright, that makes sense too. But, I don't get it. I-I mean, what exactly do I have to 'choose', and why?" _Duh-duh-duh-duh. _The drum roll began.

"You have to choose between being a hero and being a, uh, villain." Stephanie just stared at him, but the 'real' her seemed amused. _Oh, jeez, and he makes _that _sound like it's the worse news._

"Oh, does this stupid subcon… sub… sub-whatever-it-is ever shut up?!" Stephanie was confused and getting really annoyed.

"Unfortunately, no." Sportacus gave her a look of understanding. "It will only 'go away' when you choose." _Which means… You're stuck with me until then._

"Oh, joy. Wait, what exactly do I have to choose in order to…?"

"Well… If you choose to be a hero, like you were meant to be, then the real you will become, well, you."

"Ok, and again, that makes sense. What if I go with the other option?"

"Well, I certainly hope you _don't_. But, if you _do_, then the real you will cease to exist. You'll stay the way you are now forever."

"Ok, that option's sounding better and better all the time."

"Stephanie… You don't understand. To say that you'll stay the way you are now is… well, actually not quite true. You see, when Robbie gave you that potion, he, uh, awakened – so to speak –, the darkness in you."

"Ok, I'm sure I don't have to tell you just how corny that sounds."

"No, I know. But it's true. Everyone has something like it, most just don't know it. But for you… It's been taking over you bit by bit. And if you choose to be a villain, then you'll basically be surrendering to it."

"Actually… Well, I know you're trying to make it sound like a _bad_ thing, but to me it sounds like a _good _thing."

"Wait, what?" Sportacus suddenly looked mortified.

"Yeah. I mean, obviously Robbie chose to be the villain." Stephanie seemed amused by his expression.

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, he's obviously lonely. And I like being around him. And somehow I get the feeling that I'd _have _to be his enemy if I chose to be a hero."

"Well, yes. It's really only natural."

"Well, maybe I don't want that. Maybe I _want_ to be like Robbie."

"I-I-I…" Sportacus stuttered. "No… No, you're out of your mind. No sane person wants to be like Robbie Rotten. No sane person _wants _to be the villain."

"Oh really? Then where do all the criminals in the world come from?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, half of them are out of their minds too."

"I'm not out of my mind, I just don't want to be _perfect _for the rest of my life."

"Steph, you just need to think about it. I mean, you don't really know what you'd be giving up."

"Oh really? Then tell me." Stephanie raised her voice slightly.

"You and me would be mortal enemies, did you stop to think of that? You'd be the one that most people disliked and even feared. You'd walk into a room and turn every head there simply because you're whole aura would be dark, unfriendly, and scarily powerful."

"Uh, keep going. You're really just giving me more reason to want to be the bad girl." Sportacus looked dumbfounded. _Wow, you must be out of your mind. And that's says a lot coming from your own subconscious._ Stephanie ignored her subconscious and laughed at Sportacus' expression. "I'm serious. Sounds like… _fun_ to me."

"Look, you wouldn't like it. At least the Stephanie I know wouldn't. She'd hate it. I miss that Stephanie. A LOT. If you'd just fight off whatever Robbie's trying to do to you…"

"I don't want to. I like this. The feeling that people are afraid of you. It makes things rather amusing. And something tells me I could have some _fun _with these _powers _too." _He's right, you know, you need to really think about what you're saying…_

"Stephanie, stop it, just stop it. I honestly can't bear to here you talk like that. You sound too much like…" He trailed off, and Stephanie didn't feel like listening anymore.

"Well, then, you've been very informative. At least I know I'm not crazy." She got up. "I'm leaving now, whether you like it or not."

"Stephanie… What is wrong with you?!" He raised his voice. He'd never done that before, not towards her anyways. _Oh, boy. Get ready for the fireworks_. Again with her subconscious. "I tell you all of this hoping it will shock you back into realityand you write it off like it doesn't really matter?" He shook his head. "Look, you'll see. When you go to Iceland… To our homelands, you'll see. Robbie isn't nearly as powerful as some others who have chosen to be what he is. He is powerful, but… Once you meet… well, just trust me, you'll see. In the mean time… I want you to promise me something."

"…" Stephanie just raised her eyebrows.

"I want you to promise that you won't do anything… uh, villain-like until it's time for you to choose."

"I… I won't make a promise that I'll most likely break…"

"Exactly! You're word still means something, I'm sure of that at least. I won't let you leave unless you promise."

"Oh, really?" She snorted and turned towards the door and pressed the button that she knew would open it. The ladder went down automatically. "I'm going to Robbie's. Bye, Sporta-jerk.." She stepped out onto the platform.

She didn't get far. Sportacus, acting completely on impulse now, grabbed her arm and pulled her hard back into the airship. "Promise me!" Stephanie just stared down at his hand on her arm. _Ok, even I think that was a _big _mistake._ "Excuse me! Let go of me _right now_ Sportacus!" She was looking straight at him now, and he could see the darkness that was slowly taking over her behind her chocolate brown eyes.

"Promise me and I will!"

"Why do you want me to promise you so badly?!"

"Because I don't want you to be influenced by anything, Steph, please just trust me on this!" The two were having a screaming match by now.

"No! I'm tired of you trying to tell me what to DO!!!" At that moment, a pink flash of light came from Stephanie's arm, and Sportacus was pushed away from Stephanie so hard that he was thrown across the room. He hit the wall opposite Stephanie (she was sure she heard a very sickening crack, too) and slid to the floor, then stared up at her in amazement and shock.

"Wh-what was that?" Stephanie's voice was suddenly very quiet.

"Th-that was, uh, well, I, uh, think you just, uh _repelled _me. With a v-very strong shield." Sportacus was actually trembling.

"Why do I get the feeling that that's not normal?" Stephanie asked hesitantly.

"Because, it's, uh, not. You've never used your powers before in your life, y-you shouldn't have been able to do that. Even I can just barely make a sh-shield that s-strong."

"I-is that a _good _thing or a _bad _thing?" Sportacus looked up and right into her eyes.

"Well, uh, it means that you're going to most likely be one of the most p-powerful of our kind. And if that's true, it means that y-you, uh, well, whatever side you pick… Well, they will be nearly unstoppable." Sportacus obviously wasn't thinking. If he had been, he would not have told her that…

"Ok, I'm taking you to our country. To Iceland. We need answers and we need them NOW!" He tried to get up, but failed miserably as searing pain shot up throw his leg. "Agh!"

"Are you… Are you ok?"

"No… I don't think so." His voice was strained. "I think… I think you broke my leg." At this, Stephanie seemed to very suddenly come to life.

"Holy…. How did I…? I mean, I didn't even… I'm so sorry!" She moved towards Sportacus, but he held up his hand.

"You know what, no. I'll be fine… It's been a while since I've broken anything, but I'll be fine. Just leave."

"What? You need help and you know it."

"But I'm not sure I want it from you now. I am sorry, but… No one's been able to do that to me before. Nobody who wasn't raised in Iceland anyways…"

"Well, I mean, are you sure? And what about these 'powers'? Who's going to help me figure them out, I mean I don't want to do anything accidently like I just did…"

"I'll be fine, Steph. I just think you should leave. I'm not sure I can trust you anymore." Y_ou're much to prideful to let _Stephanie _of all people take care of you after _she _broke your leg, anyways._ A strangely sneering voice in his head told him.

"Wait, what? What does that have to do with…? You know what, fine. I'm gone. Maybe Robbie can help me to figure out these powers of mine…" Sportacus sighed at this.

"I'm not going to lie; he can help you just as well as I could. That doesn't mean he's the best person for the job, but…"

"Oh, you're just so quick to look down on him aren't you? And if you really don't think so, why don't you teach me."

"Because, you won't promise me you'll be good, and I won't teach how to use them if you're only going to wind up being the villain an using them for… _evil _reasons."

"And again, you sound so corny. But whatever. If you won't give me help, and you refuse to accept mine, then I'm just going to leave." Stephanie suddenly felt angry, and she just wanted to get away from Sportacus for a while. "See ya, Sporta-crippled." She walked out onto the platform, sighed heavily, then looked at him over her shoulder just before she started to climb down. "I-I promise." Sportacus looked up at her, then nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"I will hold you to that." Stephanie turned slightly to stare straight into his eyes, silently challenging him to mess with her again.

"Oh really? Fair warning, next time I use my powers on you it'll be because I _wanted _to, not because I did it on accident."

"You don't scare me." It was true; she saw no fear behind his baby blue eyes. "Mark my words, Stephanie Meanswell; you have no idea what you're getting into. I will not let you give into darkness like this and I will hold you to that promise." Stephanie just smirked.

"Consider them marked." And with that, she was gone…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Sportacus just sat there in the same spot for the longest time, staring at the place where Stephanie had been standing. _It's not over. I won't let my Stephanie, cute and sweet and innocent as she used to be, turn into my brother… her father. I promised him… I _will _keep it, I _must. _This battle's _not _over yet. _If that was true, then why did he have a sinking feeling that the 'battle' _was _already over? Why did he have the feeling that he'd already lost?

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of such doubts, then tried again to stand. It hurt worse than he remembered it hurting, but he still managed to pick himself up off the floor.

"Computer, unlock the controls." He limped over towards the panel in the wall that was his bed and opened up a small panel next to it. Inside was a sort of syringe and a jar filled with thick, clear liquid. _I didn't want to have to… but I won't be able to heal fast enough if I'm this weak… _He took the syringe and filled it half full with the liquid in the jar, then held it to his arm… _Maybe I shouldn't… Mom and dad will be so upset if they were to find out I risked becoming addicted to these crazy vitamins again… but with Stephanie losing her mind, I'll never be able to sleep well. And I'm almost never hungry anymore… I have no other choice._ And without another thought, he stuck the needle into his arm and emptied the contents into his body…

_**Weirdest idea I think I've ever had… The last part of this chapter, I mean. I'm so mean… Review please!**_


	20. Hang the Rules

Chapter 20: Hang the Rules

Stephanie was about halfway across town already when the feeling started to overtake her.

It was the strangest thing. One minute she wanted to be as far away from Sportacus as she could get, and then the next minute she had the overwhelming feeling that she should go back. It made no sense. She could see the big billboard that, in her mind, marked the entrance to Robbie's lair; it wouldn't take long to get there. But for some strange reason she just couldn't make herself start walking forward again.

"What is going on now?!" She shrieked, mainly to herself since there was no one else around, but of course her subconscious answered anyways.

_Hahahaha, your powers are really acting up now! _

"My powers?! What on earth do you mean?"

_That pull you feel? The invisible force that seems to be so randomly pulling you back to Sportacus? Yeah, that's what hero's feel when someone's in trouble._

"Oh, great. Well I'm not helping anyone, least of all Sportacus, so…"

_Oh, don't worry. You CAN ignore it; it's just not easy… _The voice sounded oddly smug.

"Wait, I'm being pulled to Sportacus? But he's never in trouble…"

_Oh, yes he is. Well, not imminent danger or anything like that, but he is in trouble. _

"Well, ok, so how _is _he in trouble then?"

_I'm not sure, really, but it seems like he just made a very big and very stupid mistake. You SHOULD go talk to him…_

"Humph, no way. He probably just slipped and fell whilst trying to get up or something, I mean I don't know. It's not my problem."

_Yes, it is. You're the only one in this entire town that knows he's gotten himself in trouble and like it or not it's your job to help him. Unless you're planning to do what a VILLAIN would do, and break your promise already._

"No… Look, you said he's not really in danger. And I need to be able to control my powers before I see him again, if only a little. I mean, if not, I may wind up getting angry and hurting him again. I'm going to Robbie's for now, but I _will _check on Sportacus later… There. Now I can do what I want, but I'm not breaking that promise." Stephanie seemed very pleased with herself.

_Oh, jeez, Steph, if only you knew… You're sounding more and more evil with every word that comes out of your mouth… _

"Well, who asked you anyways?!" She didn't bother to wait for an answer as she started walking to Robbie's again…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

It didn't take her long at all to get there. She knocked rather loudly on the entrance a couple of times, and heard a genuinely annoyed reply saying go away. She chuckled, though she was still frustrated with her powers, because it was obvious that Robbie had been sleeping.

"Robbie? It's just Stepha –." She was cut off abruptly by him, his voice was no longer annoyed, telling her to come on down. She slid down, this time landing fairly gracefully (wait, how exactly had she managed that?) on her feet. Robbie, who was in his fuzzy orange chair, got up and smiled at her.

"Nice landing Pinkie. How'd you manage that?"

"I have no idea… Sorry I woke you up."

"It's alright. I don't entirely mind being woken up by you… though, it's not even 10 yet. I'd have expected you to still be asleep too."

"Yeah, well, I was bound to wake up pretty early considering _where_ I woke up." Robbie gave a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I woke up in Sporty's big stupid hazardous blue air blimp." She was starting to vent some of her frustration.

"Oh, you've got to be joking. He brought you up there? How did he even…?"

"I was apparently so out of it, I really don't remember much. I guess I told him not to take me to my uncles… WAIT A MINUTE! IT'S HER!" Robbie raised his eyebrows. _She can't be talking about what I think she's…_

"What are you talking about?" He asked her slowly.

"It's her! It's this stupid subconscious voice thingy! She set it all up! I don't know how, but she did!" A look of horrified recognition came over Robbie's face.

"Ok, ok, I know what you're talking about." Stephanie threw up her hands.

"Of course, because everyone else just _has_ to know more about me than even I know about me!" She started ranting in frustration

"Just… Calm down Pinkie… Calm yourself and sit down so I can explain..."

"Sportacus already explained! Well, some stuff anyways… Wait, what can you explain? How do _you _know anything about _me_…?"

"Oh, I know a lot more than you think I do…" He paused and sighed. "Princess Stephanie."

"Whoa! Ok! That's quite enough! I'm out of here!"

"Wait! Don't leave. Just… stay here. You'd probably find me to be a lot more helpful than Sporta-weirdo… Pinkie?" Stephanie now had her eyes closed, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself. _That's a good girl!_ Her subconscious praised her; _now you're starting to handle yourself better; like a hero. _She ignored it, counted to ten, then opened her eyes back up to look at Robbie.

"Alright. Start explaining then."

"Well, first of all, how much did he tell you?"

"A lot." Stephanie gave Robbie a brief description of everything that had happened in Sportacus' airship, and what he had told her.

"Wow… Well, he's a bit overdramatic, in case you hadn't noticed. But then again, most _heroes _usually are."

"Yeah, I got that. My biggest problem right now is that I was stupid enough to make that promise, and I'm a woman of my word. I keep the promises I make." Her face very blatantly portrayed how truthfull and serious she was being. Robbie smiled, looking slightly smug.

"Even as a villain, that's a good asset to have. But he can't really hold you to that promise, you know that right?"

"No, I don't know that. Why can't he?"

"Because it's against the rules…"

"Ok, you've lost me now."

"Well, you see… there are very few people like you… people who are half human, half…" He paused as if trying to find a good word to describe something.

"Elf?" Stephanie offered.

"Yeah, that's probably the best way to describe it. Half human, half elvish. Most of us are fully, uh, elves. And that makes you pretty special. Most people didn't expect that you'd actually ever know about your powers, or any of this for that matter. Most babies that are born from a couple like your parents never actually do find out, so heroes and villains alike are supposed to keep their distance. Obviously Sportacus already broke that particular rule and he got in trouble for it too. Big trouble… And we both were given strict orders from his parents that we were not to influence you in any way now that you've found out. They thought it would just make things too complicated. Now, obviously, I've chosen not to listen to the king and queen. I don't really care what they tell me. But Sportacus… Well, he's definitely going to get in trouble for this. I'm hoping that this will be the final straw; if it is he'll probably lose his title and all his authority as a hero…"

"I… I just have one question. How do you know so much about all of this…?"

"Because. Before me and Sporty chose, we were friends. Good friends. Nearly inseparable… He's three years older than me, so obviously he had to make the choice first. Then when I chose to be the villain, the wrong decision in his eyes, we had a huge fight, which ultimately ended in us pretty much hating each other like we do now." He waved off Stephanie's suddenly sympathetic expression. "It was a long time ago, and I've found I enjoy hating him more anyways."

"Oook, that explains _a lot. _I wonder why he didn't tell me any of this… And what do you mean he'll lose his title?"

"Well, this isn't the first time he's screwed up. He hasn't exactly been the ideal hero, believe it or not… There was a time when he wanted to give up his title as hero." Stephanie gave him a confused look, so he decided to tell her a little bit about why. "There was a woman; my sister. He fell in love with her. She got him, uh, hooked so to speak, on these vitamins. Well, we call them vitamins, because in small amounts they can be helpful to our general health, but they're highly addictive to us at the same time. Take too much of the stuff all at once and it effects us the same way that alcohol would affect humans. She took him down pretty low too; he was nearly stripped of his title and authority as a hero. And he didn't really care at that point; he wanted to marry her… and you didn't hear any of this from me, understand? He'd have my head…"

"Wow… I-I'll have to ask him about that myself_… _Wait, I didn't know there was anything from our home that could affect us in a bad way…" It was oddly easy to get used to thinking of herself as not being human. "Jeez, I can't believe he never told me any of this… Wait a minute; he was right, wasn't he? You did give me a potion." Stephanie was suddenly glaring at him.

"Yes, I did." Robbie held up his hands in surrender. "But it's worn off completely by now. You're acting the way you are completely on your own." The look on her face softened.

"Well, I don't blame you I suppose… I should be thanking you actually. The whole goody-goody act was getting tiresome anyways; I had no idea that being a bad girl could be quite this much fun." Robbie smiled and slowly lowered his hands.

"Well, you're most definitely welcome. I'm glad I was apparently helpful for once in my life." Stephanie chuckled. "But, honestly, you ain't seen nothing yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… First of all, how long has it been since you went shopping?"

"Uh, I don't really know. It's been a while… why?"

"Because, I don't know about you, but I think a change of style is in order. You need a wardrobe that's a little less bright and _pink_. And besides, there's someplace I'd like to take you and we're gonna have to find you something more appropriate to wear anyways… I'll have to get some money – ." Stephanie cut him off.

"No, I've got money. Plenty of it too." Robbie raised his eyebrows.

"Being royalty apparently has its advantages."

"Aaah." Robbie smiled.

"Yep. How about I go clean up and get the money while you get dressed too… Oh, I guess I'll have to borrow mom's car…"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I've got something even better than your mother's big, ugly van."

"Oh really? Well, ok then. I'll be back as soon as I'm done… Hey, where is that you want to take me anyways?"

"Oh, you'll just have to wait and see…" Stephanie raised her eyebrows, but knew that Robbie wasn't going to tell her anything more than that. She left and headed for her uncle's house.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

It took Stephanie about an hour to get back to Robbie's. She was wearing a black mini skirt with a revealing hot pink halter top and hot pink knee high boots. She'd done her makeup heavily; for some strange reason she wanted Robbie to notice how she looked. _It's called you're falling in love with him. Head over heels._ Her subconscious was trying to warn her. _Trust me, it's not a good thing. Sportacus was right, he's bad news. You heard what his sister nearly did to Sportacus, and I think Robbie could do even worse to you. You've got to quit while you're ahead._ Stephanie ignored it as usual, a mistake she would wind up regretting, and kept walking.

When she got there Robbie was waiting for her. She was dumbfounded by his appearance… He was wearing a dark purple t-shirt underneath a nice fringed black leather biker's jacket with a pair of black jeans and black leather boots. He was leaning casually up against a motorcycle, the nicest motorcycle Stephanie had ever seen. It was the same dark purple as Robbie's t-shirt, and it had flames painted on the sides. Stephanie had never noticed just how, well, _attractive _Robbie could be, but standing there against his bike dressed like he was… She suddenly thought he was sexier than any guy she had ever seen before.

"_Robbie?_" He chuckled.

"You like it?"

"Like it? I _love _it. Robbie, you look _hot_… and I'm jealous. I've always wanted to know how to ride a motorcycle…" Robbie seemed a little taken aback by her reaction, but kept his cool and smiled roguishly.

"Thanks… Actually, I have another one. I can certainly teach you how to ride it if you want." Stephanie looked amazed.

"That would be great!" She then looked down at what she was wearing. "Oh, boy. Skirts and motorcycles do _not _mix well."

"Don't worry, you won't be wearing that for too much longer… Not that I entirely mind it. You look pretty, uh, sexy yourself there Pinkie." Stephanie raised her eyebrows, suddenly feeling very pleased with herself for earning said compliment.

"Thanks… Shall we?" She walked towards Robbie as he got on his bike, swinging her hips a little more than was necessary. Swinging her own leg over to get on the bike, she wrapped her arms securely around Robbie's waist as the engine roared and they rode off.

And at the exact same time, all the way across town, Sportacus' crystal started beeping like crazy. Because somebody was falling. Falling _fast_ and falling _hard_. Somebody was about to get herself in big trouble. Because said somebody was about to break her promise, and it was all going to go downhill from there.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Robbie and Stephanie shopped for hours.

It was about 1:30 when they finally got to the first store they shopped at. They spent the next five hours shopping at a million different stores. Stephanie's only real problem with it all had been that she didn't know where to put it all, since they were riding a motorcycle, but then Robbie showed her how to present herself as being rich and powerful, and that was no longer a problem. The stores were suddenly more than happy to deliver the clothes straight to her house. Stephanie was amazed, this being her first real taste of the kind of power money alone could give her. It was now about 6:00 and Stephanie had just stepped out of the dressing room in which she had changed into her outfit for the night.

"Wow… just wow." Robbie went bug eyed. She looked… well, she was wearing a tank top that was the darkest shade of pink Stephanie had ever seen, much darker than the bright shades she usually wore. It came down low, revealing quite a bit of her ample cleavage, and also showed off a bit of her slender stomach. Over that she wore a fringed black leather girls biker jacket. Her pants were tight black leather and her shoes were black high heeled sandals. "This look is just so _you_."

"Really? I like it too. It does fit me well doesn't it?" She spun around to give Robbie a full view of the outfit. "Jeez, I'm just wondering when I got to be so graceful. I never could walk well in heels before…"

"Yeah, it really does. You're really going to turn some heads… and it's probably because you bodies gone into, uh, 'elf' mode, I guess is how you could put it. We do tend to be a lot more graceful than humans… Me not necessarily included in that." Stephanie chuckled.

"Yeah, I noticed. Wait, turn some heads…? Robbie, seriously, where are you going to take me?" Robbie smirked.

"It's a… well, a sort of dance club. But it's for, uh what did you call it?"

"Elves… You-know-who said that's the closest analogy to what we're called."

"I think he's right, oddly enough… But I think you're really going to like this place. It'll give you a taste of what it's like to really be a bad girl." He had a smug look on his face again, with the same oddly roguish smile he'd had on his face earlier. _Oh, great. Gonna go weak at the knees, are we tough girl? _Stephanie's subconscious seemed annoyed at her reaction to Robbie. Stephanie just rolled her eyes.

"Well, then I must say, I can't wait… Oh, Sportacus is going to kill me, I bet. And so will everyone else… I've been so 'reclusive' lately, or at least that's how mom and Aunt Bessie put it… And then if come home from a place like what you're talking about. Dressed like I am now. On your motorcycle, with my arms around your waist…" She shook her head. "I didn't realize it before, but I'm breaking all the rules now."

"Hey, I guarantee you your going to have fun… Screw what everyone else thinks. None of them can control you anymore, not even Sportacus… that is, unless you let them. It's your choice." The thought of being uncontrollable was… very appealing. Stephanie suddenly felt like she was being offered a kind of freedom that she never could have before.

"Come on, Pinkie." They were outside now, and Robbie got on his bike, holding his hand out to Stephanie. "Hang the rules for tonight."

_NO! DON'T! _Her subconscious was trying desperately to stop her. _Seriously, Steph, all of this just SCREAMS trouble._ _And what would Sportacus think? He wouldn't approve at all. _Stephanie shook her head. She no longer cared about Sportacus, or what he thought.

So, she grabbed Robbie's hand, suddenly feeling boldly rebellious, and got onto his bike…

"Let's ride."

_**Long chapter, but I think I stopped it at the perfect place… review please!**_


	21. Falling

_**Just putting it out there that I'm not a big fan of alcohol, but that there are, of course, some parts where it just seemed to fit…**_

Chapter 21: Falling

"Um, Robbie, where are we?" Robbie smiled in amusement.

"This is the place."

"Uh, it looks more like and abandoned drug store to me."

"Well, that's because it technically is. Er, was…" Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

"Was?"

"Yeah, it was before two powerful chicks from our world found it out here in the middle of nowhere and decided to turn into a dance club for magic folk."

"Magic folk?" Stephanie chuckled and Robbie mumbled for her to shut up. "Well, it still doesn't look like much."

"Well, neither do you normally Pinkie. Don't underestimate things based on appearances." Stephanie raised her eyebrows again and followed Robbie around to the back of the "store" where there was what appeared to be an old wooden door.

"Ok Pinkie, I need you to really listen to me for a minute. There are probably going to be some pretty powerful people in here. Powerful and truly _evil _people. People you really don't want to mess with." He paused and smirked. "Well, not yet anyways. So if I tell you to bite that quick tongue of yours and stay quiet, you have to listen to me, ok? I mean, I don't think that'll happen, but if it does…"

"I'm not making any promises, but I trust you. I'll do my best."

"Alright, good. Oh, and if the person who answer the door is a girl, feel free to say whatever you like to her, no matter how powerful she seems to be." Before Stephanie could ask what he meant, Robbie turned to the door and knocked four times, a slight blast of purple magic emanating from his hand on the last knock and spreading over the door, making it glow purple.

"Wait, what was…?" Robbie smiled.

"Just a way of letting the guy on the other side know who's trying to get in."

"Oh, that makes sense." Stephanie mumbled, still feeling a bit amazed at seeing Robbie use his powers, even if it was for something as small as this. Suddenly the door opened, revealing not a guy like Stephanie had been expecting to see to spite what Robbie had said, but a girl, young if looks meant anything when dealing with magical beings. She was also no taller or stronger than Stephanie, in appearance anyways, and Stephanie wondered briefly how such a tiny girl could be the bouncer at a club. But then, she also had a feeling there was a lot more to this girl than met the eye.

"Ah, Robbie Rotten." The girl spoke with a thick Icelandic accent.

"Hey Jane."

"Haven't seen you in a long time." She smiled flirtatiously, ignoring Stephanie, and stepped closer to Robbie. "Too long. Where have you been?"

"Uh, busy…" Robbie smiled back, seeming annoyed, but making no real move to stop her obvious advances. Stephanie suddenly felt jealous. Who was this chick anyways? She was dressed like a the slutty-high-school cheerleader type. Obviously she knew Robbie. Stephanie wasn't sure she even wanted to know how. But, wait, why did she care? It wasn't like Robbie was her man, or like she even wanted it that way… right?

"…hmmm, well, I say we should get together again. Catch up…" They were all inside now, Stephanie unconsciously walking behind Robbie and the girl (whose name was Jane, apparently) that she assumed was one of Robbie past girlfriends. Jane was giggling like crazy and all over Robbie, and Stephanie was more than just a little annoyed by it. She suddenly remembered what Robbie had told her…

"Ahem." She cleared her throat and Jane barely spared a glance at her, while Robbie smirked. He knew what was coming.

"So sorry to interrupt, but aren't you supposed to be guarding a door or something." Now Jane looked at Stephanie, looking amused, but slightly annoyed.

"And who are you, exactly?"

"Does it really matter? It just so happens that you're climbing all over my date, and I think you should go back to… whatever it is you're supposed to be doing." Jane chuckled darkly, and moved to stand only inches in front of Stephanie, trying to intimidate her.

"I don't really care what you think… human? What are you doing here anyways? And with Robbie? He never goes for the, uh, tough girl type. He likes them more laid back." Jane winked at Stephanie suggestively...Wait, this chick thought Stephanie was human? Oh well, it didn't really seem significant at this point.

"I already told you, I AM here with Robbie. Do you have a problem with that? And who said I was human?"

"Well, it's not like whom Mr. Rotten spends his time with is any of my business… But I highly doubt you could stop me from throwing you out if I did have a problem with it. And I sense nothing… magical about you." Jane was still trying to intimidate Stephanie, but Stephanie wouldn't back down.

"Oh, yeah? Try throwing me out and see what happens." Stephanie could already feel a surge of power welling up inside of her. Jane didn't notice this exactly, but she did notice something else, something in Stephanie's eyes, that made it obvious she was not human as she appeared to be.

"What's your name anyways?" Stephanie glanced discreetly at Robbie, who shook his head no, then looked back at Jane.

"Pinkie." The girl raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I see. A rebellious descendent of the royals. Very distant descendent no doubt. I knew there was more to you than met the eye; not that the eye goes wanting." She looked Stephanie up and down, stopping briefly at her chest, and Stephanie wasn't sure she wanted to stick around long enough to find out exactly what Jane meant by that.

"Alright, Robbie, let's go before this chick gets any weirder." And with that she pushed Jane out of the way and stood beside Robbie. Jane sneered and made a slight lunge toward Stephanie, but stopped when she heard a knock on the door. She was about to resume her 'attack' when Robbie gave her a warning look, and she instead stomped off in huff, looking rather childish and making Stephanie laugh. They headed for another door, this one looking a lot less old and rickety, and Stephanie could clearly hear some upbeat techno-type music coming from the other side. Robbie chuckled suddenly beside her.

"A little jealous, were we Pinkie."

"No, not at all. I just don't like it when I'm being ignored."

"I seem to recall you implying that I was, ahem, _yours_." The roguish smile was back again.

"I said you were my _date_, not that we were _dating_. I can't even begin to imagine that…"

"Oh, really? You don't sound too convincing to me, Pinkie."

"…"

"I can picture it, you know. I mean…" His expression was much more serious and Stephanie sighed.

"Can we talk about this some other time? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to start having fun."

"Well, fine then. Ladies first?" Stephanie shot him a 'don't-even-start-to-play-that-game' look. "No? I thought not." He smiled and opened the door, putting his arm around her waist (a gesture that Stephanie didn't protest at all, oddly enough), and they walked in.

The place was apparently a lot bigger than it looked. The music was blasting from huge speakers set up on all four corners of the room. It was dark, and there were bright lights flashing all over the place. There were a lot of people there, some looking very dressed up and exotic in other world-ish clothing, but most looking similar to her and Robbie in appearance. Most of the floor was taken up for dancing; well, most of the first floor anyways. Stephanie soon noticed that there was a staircase on the other side of the room that led up to a balcony that had booths and tables and chairs set up for people to sit down if they wished. They walked further into the room, and people turned and actually started staring at… her? Stephanie was suddenly confused. Robbie just smiled.

"Ignore them…" He tightened his grip around Stephanie's waist a little. "Calm down, Stephanie. It's alright, they just haven't seen me in a long time… It's been even longer since they've seen me with a gi –, er, woman." Stephanie actually seemed to calm down a little, and she smiled when Robbie corrected himself, calling her a woman.

"I'm just not used to be stared at like I'm the weird one." Robbie chuckled.

"Oh trust me, that's not why they're staring at you, my sexy little pink demon."

"Hey, watch yourself Robbie. I'm not yours."

"All in good time, all in good time." He smiled playfully. "Look I told you, you were going to turn some heads, did I not? Come on, there's someone I want you to meet." He led her over to the bar, walking up to a woman who really didn't seem to fit in to the setting they were in. She was wearing dark blue jeans, Converse high tops, a dark blue t-shirt (which, Stephanie noticed, actually matched her hair,) and a rather plain leather jacket. Stephanie kept her distance. She had no idea who his woman was, but she got the impression that this was one of the people she didn't want to mess with.

"-m and dad will be glad to know you haven't fallen off the face of the Earth…" The woman was telling Robbie. "I mean, jeez, Rob, you could at least write –," she cut off, noticing Stephanie. "Who's the kid?"

"This is Stephanie Meanswell. And, apparently, my date." Stephanie guessed it didn't matter if the woman knew who she was. She also stuck her tongue out at Robbie upon hearing that last statement.

"Wait, Stephanie Meanswell? As in Stephanie, the daughter of the royal-prince-gone-rogue, Stephanie?" The woman shook her head. "Rob, you really know how to get yourself in trouble, don't you?"

"Don't start. She's barely even got her powers yet…"

"Well, I can see that. You can relax, dear. I'm this knuckled heads," she gestured toward Robbie, "older sister, Julia." A look of annoyance took over Stephanie's face.

"Robbie, you could have warned me."

"Oh, be quiet, Pinkie. You and I both know you don't really care…" He ordered a shot of whiskey, then looked at Stephanie, who sat down, and was now between Robbie and Julia. "You want anything Pinkie?"

"Considering what happened last night? No thanks, I'll pass." Julia laughed at Robbie, who seemed oddly disappointed.

"Smart girl. I think I'm going like you…" She just stared at Stephanie for a minute. "Hmmm… You've got that same look… The look that we all had at one point, before we chose to be the bad guys. But it's different… You're too innocent."

"Innocent?"

"Yeah… You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Especially being with him." She gestured toward Robbie again. "If I were you, I'd get out of here now. Put on one of those cute little dresses you used to love wearing. Pretend like you're still oblivious. Trust me, it'd be the easiest way to go."

"How do you know…" Robbie pulled on Stephanie's arm, interrupting her.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter. Don't listen, we're here to have fun remember."

"Wait, Robbie. This is all going a little too fast…" She turned back to Julia. "How did you know about my dresses?"

"Oh, I know a lot more than you think I do, kid."

"I'm not a kid." Stephanie wasn't defensive, she was simply stating a fact.

"Oh, trust me, if you only knew how long I've been around… I've known you since before you were even born."

"But how?"

"It's a… special gift I have. I can see the future, and you… You've been in it since before you were even conceived in your mother's womb, 22 years ago."

"I… alright, get me a glass of whiskey please." Stephanie told the bar tender. "Forget about having fun, Robbie, I want to know right here, right now, what haven't you been telling me?"

"Nothing I wasn't allowed to tell you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means… It means she told me not to tell you. I'm sorry, I wanted to… It's just, I _have _to listen to her, believe it or not. Look, please… just stay calm. Let's dance." Robbie was suddenly very nervous.

"I… Alright, alright. We'll dance. I don't really want to know anyways." She gulped the glass down all at once. "Wait…" She suddenly remembered something Robbie had told her, back at his lair. "Just tell me one thing. Do you know who Sportacus is?" Julia's expression went from shocked, to sad, then back to passive like it had been all along in a matter of seconds.

"I… That's not something I'm willing to talk about here… listen, you're obviously not interested in getting any real answers right now, but if you get to the place where you _really_ want answers, call me." She waved her hand in front of Stephanie's head, and suddenly a number popped into her mind. She left before Stephanie could respond.

"I… Well, ok then." Stephanie shook her head, trying to process everything that had just happened.

"Sporta-nerd? How did he fit into that conversation?"

"He… Well, I remembered what you told me back at your place, about him and your sister. I was just curious. I don't know why he's even on my mind but…"

"Don't expect to get much out of her. She's stubborn as hell; refuses to talk about him. She won't tell you much, I guarantee it… Wait, but what?"

"Well, I'm stubborn too, so I'll get it out of her somehow. Or him. Whichever works better… And I don't know. I just have this feeling. Like… someone should really check up on him. Like he's in trouble… and he's worrying about me. Not like I would normally care, but I've had that feeling all day, and it's getting harder to ignore it."

"Oh, that's just great… It's your powers. You're natural instincts, so to speak, are hero like. He probably did something stupid and irrational because he's worried about you. That and he obviously hasn't been sleeping well… or eating much. Even I've noticed he's not looking so good… But it's none of your business, really."

"I think it is. I mean… I don't know. I'm beginning to think your sister's right. I need some time to think all of this through… And why would he be so worried?"

"Because, Pinkie, your falling."

"Falling?"

"Yes, falling. Falling in a lot of different ways. Falling, for one, as in becoming evil. Falling, well, uh, in love probably with someone other than him…"

"Oh… I guess that makes sense. I'm falling, and he's just worried… Maybe I judged him harder than… You know what Robbie? I think I just want to go home."

"Alright, it's up to you, but I'm telling you, you'll have fun if we stay. Real fun. The kind of fun you've been wanting to have for a while now. I mean, who cares if you're 'falling'. Don't worry about it for tonight."

"I… alright." Suddenly Stephanie was back to 'normal', or at least it appeared that way to Robbie, and she put on a fake smirk.

"If I'm going to have some real fun… I think I'm going to need another drink." _Make that two or three more… it's going to be a long night._

… _**Don't have much to say… Just review, please. **___


	22. Mine

Chapter 22: Mine

Stephanie had no idea what time it was.

She had a feeling it was getting late. Real late. But this place was still packed, and she was having too much fun to really care what time it was. Never mind the fact that she was slightly tipsy…

Robbie obviously didn't care either. He'd introduced her to several people, telling them that all they really needed to know about her was that she was called Pinkie and she was a distant descendent of the royal family. Most people seemed ok with this, and she wound up dancing with more guys than she could ever possibly remember…

_Stephanie._

Wait, what was that? She looked around, but no one was trying to get her attention. She took a sip of her drink.

_Stephanie!_

There it was again, just before the glass touched her lips. This time she swore she heard her name.

_STEPHANIE!!!_

Stephanie fell of the chair she was sitting on, startled by the voice of her subconscious suddenly screaming into her ear. Robbie gave her an odd look.

"You ok? Stephanie?" _NO!!! She is not ok._ Her subconscious responded, though he obviously couldn't hear. _She's lost her mother loving mind!!!_ Stephanie looked up at Robbie, then to the (hot) guy she was sitting next to. (Why were all the guys in here so cute, anyways?)

"Oh, uh, yeah, fine." She laughed it off nervously. "I… I'm just going to go to the, uh, bathroom. Yeah! That's it! I was going to go to the bathroom and, uh, just sorta tripped." She shook her head, her fake smile fading. "I'll be right back!" And with that, she made a run for the bathroom.

"DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT IN THERE! Jeez, I bet Robbie thinks I really am crazy now. Not to mention… Uh,…" _Oh, you've got to be kidding me…_

"You were flirting up a storm with him and you never even bothered to get his name? Oh, no, that's not it, you got his name, you just don't remember it because of all the guys you've danced with already. Not to mention the whiskey running through your body… Yes, I'm really here. You're not hallucinating."

Stephanie stared, completely shocked, at the girl that was suddenly standing before her. It was her! Like, a Stephanie clone. But how?!

"Whoa! Wait a minute! How… You… You're a voice! In my head!" Stephanie shook her head violently, backing up to get away from… herself? Ok, that sounded just too weird. "I'm not supposed to be able to see you!!!" She continued to back up…

"Look, Pinkie, calm down. First of all, the reason you can see me is that you (we) are becoming more powerful by the minute. I don't know how, or why, but it's true. Physically appearing to you is relatively easy, at least now it is. And second, you might want to watch out behind you, because you're about to…"

Too late, Stephanie had backed herself into a stall and now found herself literally sitting inside a toilet.

"Too late. I would say sorry, but I think you had it coming." Stephanie got up, kicked the stall door angrily, then looked back at her subconscious.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Look, calm down. Another kick like that and the thing might just come right of its hinges… Like I said, physically appearing to you isn't as big a deal as you think. And, to answer your earlier question, yes, I did have to do that in there. I've been trying to get through to you all night, but you refuse to listen. "

"…" Stephanie was speechless. Her subconscious (which she was now thinking of as 'The Voice') shook her head.

"Look, you need to leave here now. I don't know what time it is exactly, but I think it's late, and I do know that something bad is going to happen here, and you shouldn't be here in the first place. You need to go back in there and tell Robbie that you two are leaving. NOW!"

"I-I… Ok, assuming that I'm not already at home, sleeping, and this isn't just a crazy dream, what is supposed to happen? I mean…"

"I don't know… But I'm you, so I know you can sense it the same way that I can. Something bad is about to happen, and you and Robbie need to leave before it does. Besides, I have a feeling a certain someone is still awake. Someone that's been on the back of your mind all day and night…"

"Well… Alright. Alright, I'll take your word for it this time… Oh, duh, cell phone." She laughed nervously. "I guess I DO know what time it is… Wow, 1:30! Jeez, forget what's-his-name, Aunt Bessie is probably freaking out, wondering where I am! Not to mention Uncle Milford... I never really told anyone I was leaving and that I'd be back late; they could've called the police by now knowing them." She started to dial her uncle's number when suddenly the screen went blank. "What? No battery… That's great. Just great." She shook her head. "I don't care what's going to happen, I need to get home now!"

"I hate to say… No actually I don't. I TOLD YOU SO!!!" The Voice screamed into Stephanie's ear before disappearing as the 22 year old ran out of the bathroom.

"Robbie, we need to leave! NOW!"

"Well, I, uh…"

"No, no, no, no, NO! NOW!"

She looked at the guy (what was his name, anyways? He reminded her vaguely of someone) and smiled slightly before pulling Robbie out of his chair.

"Jeez… Pinkie, what's wrong?!... Stephanie!" He managed to stop her as they were nearing the entrance. "What happened? I mean, one minute you're perfectly fine, then you fall out of your chair and stumble to the bathroom, and then you come back out soaking wet, and now you want to leave all of a sudden? I'm so confused…"

"Well, it's late anyways, and I don't want to explain, all I know is that we have to get out of here! Now, Robbie, I will drag you back to your bike if I have to." She grabbed his arm and yanked him forward with enough force to actually force him to move forward.

"Jeez, when did you get so strong?"

"I don't even know, ok, I was just wondering that myself… Look, take me back to the parking lot and I'll explain everything there."

"I… alright, alright. We'll leave. You're right, it's late anyways…"

They walked quickly back to the parking lot, or at least as quickly as Stephanie could make Robbie go, and Stephanie soon realized that The Voice had been right. If she paid attention, she could easily feel a very strong and powerful presence back in the direction of the club. She sighed, the feeling giving her goose bumps, and quickly explained everything to Robbie.

"You're subconscious actually appeared to you? Physically appeared? That's different…"

"Well, I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm just different all together…"

"I'm getting that feeling too… but don't worry about that. I don't think it's a bad thing."

"Well, I certainly hope it isn't…"

"Ok, what's wrong now?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Why do you look so jumpy? Like you're about ready to attack someone?"

"Well, it's partly because, like I said before, my aunt and uncle tend to assume the worst in any given situation. That, and, I don't know, I just feel… Something about this place is suddenly making me feel like I'm suffocating. Like I honestly can't get enough air. I have no idea why, though, so don't ask me."

"I think I might know why… but that's not important. Come on, let's get out of here." Stephanie nodded vigorously in agreement, and soon they were back on his bike headed for Lazytown.

* * *

Sportacus was actually glad he'd taken the vitamins. It'd helped a lot; his leg was almost healed completely and it had only been a couple hours. It still hurt a little, though, and probably would for a while, but that was something he was sure he could live with.

He still couldn't sleep though. He had a feeling that he should just relax; he knew by now that Stephanie was fine. It had been hard to convince the mayor and Bessie of that, of course, but he had eventually persuaded them not to call the police, using the excuse that his crystal wasn't beeping, so she must not be in danger… But he also had a feeling that she shouldn't have gone wherever she went, and that she certainly shouldn't have gone with who she went with, who he was pretty sure was Robbie, and that she shouldn't have met who she met there, and that she was getting herself in trouble and that he should have done more to stop her and… The over-tired hero laughed ruefully. He wasn't thinking clearly, and he was making himself dizzy. He sighed, shaking his head.

Of course, there was the fact that Stephanie was a grown woman, and that as such she was entitled to go wherever she pleased, and spend time with whomever she pleased, and basically do whatever she pleased. Sportacus hated this fact most of all. He cared about her so much (though, it was in more of a fatherly way now, looking at it in the perspective of being her uncle. Funny how easy it had been to switch it around…) and he didn't want her to do… well, anything at all really. Not until she was given the chance to realize what being a 'hero' or a 'villain' was really all about. The problem was that she had already dug herself a shallow hole, and being as stupid and hardheaded as she was being as of late, she wasn't stopping there. Oh, no, she had apparently decided to just keep on digging. And then there was her powers…

She was going to powerful. Really, really powerful. Almost as powerful as his parents. That much was for absolutely certain. And this actually made more sense to him than anything else did. Because it meant that, if things went according to… what had his mother called it? He couldn't remember… but if things went according to the old legends, she would be the one to get rid of all the villains… well, not all of them, but the worst ones. The one's that were the biggest problem… But the real problem was that if things went the other way, if she chose to be bad, to be evil, to become the ultimate villain… Well, it wouldn't be pretty…

He had a bad feeling that things were about to get very ugly very quickly.

Suddenly he jumped up out of his bed, forgetting about the fact that it was the middle of the night, and that he needed sleep desperately otherwise his body might just start asking for more vitamins. He jumped into his pilot's seat and starting heading in a very specific direction at a very fast pace… _Wait, no! Rebecca! Sportacus, you idiot, you can't just leave… You have to at least tell Rebecca… I'm afraid I shouldn't wait to leave much longer… I'll just tell Rebecca then… I mean, if I'm right and Stephanie has found._ He shuddered slightly, refusing to even think her name. _If Stephanie has met _her_ then she'll be able to figure things out. I'll have to leave it up to her..._ he turned around sharply, the airship tilting on its side, then started heading in the opposite direction at an even faster pace.

And then suddenly there were only two words on his mind. One was Stephanie, thoughts of her filling up only half of his conscious mind. The other was somewhere he hadn't been in a very long time. Somewhere that he left behind a long time ago, swearing he would never return because of the horrible memories it held. It was the place where he grew up, the place where he became a hero, and the place where he was very nearly stripped of said title of because of a woman – he shuddered at that particular thought – and, unfortunately for the poor, muscled bound, hero in blue, it was the only place that he would get any real answers.

'It' was, in his mind, 'home'.

* * *

It was 3:30 by the time Robbie and Stephanie pulled up to Stephanie's house. They both got off of his bike, and Stephanie started to head for the door, but Robbie pulled her back.

"You know, my little villain in training, I think it's time for another lesson." He had a roguish, almost seductive smirk on his face.

"Robbie, I really don't have time for…" She was very nearly yelling at him, anxious as she was to get in the house, and she would've woken someone up had it not been for…

Robbie's lips crashing into hers before she could even finish her sentence. He pulled away, smirking again, and Stephanie just stared at him, dazed.

"I... You… I mean… That was… Wow." Robbie just smiled.

"You know, there's no lights on in your uncles house. He and your aunt are asleep. So, it wouldn't kill you to stay here for –." It was apparently Stephanie's turn to cut him off, giving him a kiss, and this one lasted much longer. She pulled back finally and smiled when Robbie tried to kiss her again, playfully putting a finger over his lips to stop him.

"And what is it that I'm learning from this?"

"Learning?" He laughed. "That you can be as seductive as you want, and no one can say a thing about it. In fact, if you stick with me and do what I say, I bet no one will even dare to say a word against you anymore."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Well, I think I like that idea." And before he could respond she kissed him again, this time letting the world fade into nothingness as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. She was so lost in the kiss, in fact, that she didn't hear the movement inside the house, didn't think to turn around to see if they had woken anyone up, and therefore didn't know that she was about to be caught kissing the town villain, in front of his motorcycle, looking like a born to be wild biker chick and smelling like alcohol. No, sadly, she didn't realize any of this until she heard the front door open behind her, her Uncle Milford standing in the door way looking like he was about to faint.

Stephanie was about to turn around, but was stopped by Robbie, who still held her by the waist. He leaned in closer to her and brushed her pink hair away from her ear, about to speak two words into it, just loud enough for the mayor to hear too. Two words that would send the poor older man falling to floor in shock. Two words that would take a long minute for Stephanie to process.

Two words that Robbie had wanted to apply to Stephanie for a rather long time.

As Robbie held Stephanie in his arms, caressing her cheek in a gentler manner than Stephanie would have thought him capable of, he said the two words that would shake Stephanie's world to the core. And yet somehow, for some strange reason, he knew it was alright to say them to her.

He simply said "You're mine." But that's all he needed to say. Stephanie understood immediately. She didn't protest, though, nor did she pull away like she was sure she should have. Instead, she wrapped her own arms tighter around him, smiling into his leather jacket.

"I'm yours? Don't you think we're moving a little fast…" He raised his eyebrows at her as she started to genuinely think it over.

"Awe, screw it. I'm yours, and you, Robbie Rotten… Are mine." He pulled her face up gently, looking into her eyes, and they sat there staring at each other like that as the world came to life around them. Bessie came down, and screamed when she saw her husband unconscious on the floor. She screamed even louder when she saw Stephanie in Robbie's arms, staring at him as if he were her lover (which, for all she knew, he was,) and suddenly all hell broke loose. The neighbors, including Ziggy and Pixel oddly enough, came rushing out of their houses to see what was going on. Stephanie and Robbie were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of rather unhappy Lazytowner's. Police cars suddenly came up, sirens wailing, responding to a call that someone had made when they first heard the screams, and they came out armed with guns, looking like they were more than ready for a fight…

And in all the madness no one stopped to notice the fact that the town hero was MIA, or the fact that his airship was nowhere in sight…

_**Review please…**_


	23. Of Motorcycles and French Kisses

_**Ok, this chapter is set two months after the last, because I wanted to move things along a little bit. Sorry, I'm not into the whole fluffy, lovey dovey thing and I don't do sex scenes real well, although I may try it here and there, so I hope you'll bear with me in that respect. This is mainly just a filler chapter…**_

_**So, yeah, the newness of Steph and Robbie being together has worn off by now… **_

Chapter 23: Of Motorcycles and French Kisses

Stephanie was happy.

No, wait, not _just_ happy. She was way beyond just being happy. No, Stephanie Meanswell was floating on cloud 9. She was so happy, in fact, that her aunt and uncle were positive she'd gone nuts.

And honestly, why shouldn't they? Considering the fact that all they'd gotten from her was snippy remarks and sarcasm for the past few months, it was odd to hear anything else from her. But, no, ever since that night when they'd woken up at 3 A.M to the sight of their niece kissing the town villain while he leaned up against a motor cycle, she'd been in a state of perfect bliss it seemed. Not that she wasn't her usual witchy self; she was as sarcastic and mean as ever. She just seemed to be having more fun with it. Of course, to them it was perfectly horrifying. And the fact that she and Robbie had very openly 'claimed' each other that night didn't help to ease their worries either… At first they had written it off as her just not thinking clearly, as it had been abundantly clear she wasn't at the time. Her words had been slightly slurred, and it was obvious she'd been out having a good time. But then she'd come down the next day at 12 P.M., at first complaining of a splitting headache (confirming their suspicions that she'd been drinking and not thinking clearly), but then jumping for joy when she finally remembered that her and Robbie were a couple.

And, of course, it also didn't help that they'd never seen her like that before, and that she'd very suddenly turned into a sleazy biker chick, and that she was starting to look and act more like Robbie every day. Not only that, but she had an oddly arrogant air around her too; a sort of dark aura that surrounded her and filled the whole room when she walked into it, an aura that she was obviously very aware of, almost proud of. It was scary, actually, because it was getting hard to stay in a room with her because of it. It seemed that the longer people were around her, the more uncomfortable they would start to feel; they would start to feel angry or upset for no apparent reason. The only person her 'aura' didn't seem to have an effect on was Robbie… But they didn't even want to know the answer to why that was. Another thing that had them worried was the fact that they never knew where she was anymore. She would leave without telling them much of anything, then come back long after they were asleep, then sleep until 1 P.M., then start over again. It was very frustrating.

It also really didn't help that Sportacus was gone, had been for weeks now (though no one was quite sure when he'd left ), and the whole town was slightly panicked because of it. Parents were so used to having a guardian of sorts constantly watching over their children that they were starting to keep them inside more often than not, unsure of how to else to cope. Of course, this seemed to have Stephanie and Robbie very amused. Stephanie because she was wondering just how long it would be before all the kids in Lazytown starting rebelling against their parents and going places anyways, thus putting the town in a state of semi-chaos; Robbie because he'd worked so hard for so long to get rid of Sportacus and he hadn't done anything this time. The hero in blue had just left on his own.

Of course, this was old news by now. Not that it wasn't important, by any means. They missed Sportacus just as much as the rest of the town did; it was just that the Mayor and his wife had realized by now that they had other things to deal with, things that were actually in their control. And today, the biggest one of those things was Stephanie. She wasn't listening to them, (she was continuously reminding them that she was a grown woman and could take care of herself), but they figured there had to be at least one other person in town she would listen too. It took a while for it to hit them, who this one person was, and when it finally did they wound up feeling very stupid for it. It should have been obvious. He was older than the rest of her friends in Lazytown, and she'd even dated him once (if they remembered correctly). She saw him as her brother, trusted him like he was her family.

This person was, oddly enough, Pixel.

* * *

Stephanie couldn't believe this. It was just too surreal.

She was sitting calmly on the huge motorcycle, the one Robbie had promised to give her later on when she learned how to ride it properly, and he was standing next to her right now, explaining to her yet again how to get the giant contraption going.

They were in a huge field, miles outside of Lazytown, fairly empty and treeless, and the perfect place for her to learn how to ride. It shouldn't have been that big a deal really. After all, she'd learned how to use her powers, hadn't she?... Ok, ok, ok, so she still had more to learn, but she was already pretty powerful and in good control of it. Compared to the amount of time and effort she'd put into that, (which wasn't much, considering how much time 'elves' took to gain control like she had, much less elves that were half human), riding a motor cycle should have been a piece of cake… _hmmm, that sounds sooo good right now, too… nonono, focus Stephanie. Jeez…_ her mind just wouldn't stop wandering. Robbie tried to get her attention next to her.

"Did you get all of that babe?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, I got it… Really, I did."

"Are you sure? You certainly didn't look like you were paying attention…" Robbie was skeptical.

"No, I heard you. I got it."

"Well, alright then. Try not to run into a tree this time, ok?" he smirked and Stephanie scowled.

"Hey, once! I only did that once the first time, and that was my first time riding this thing. Relax."

"Hey, 'this thing' is one of my baby's, so watch it." He had a playful undertone to his serious voice. Stephanie pretended to get angry.

"And here I thought I was your baby." Robbie though she was serious and back tracked.

"That's not what I meant, Steph, I just…"

"Calm down, Robbie. I was joking. Oh, and by the way, I wasn't paying attention because I already know what to do." She smiled as she zoomed off expertly across the field, leaving Robbie behind looking impressed and slightly dumbfounded. He blinked a couple of times before jumping on his own bike and zooming off after her.

"How did you…? I mean, you seemed so unsure last time… and earlier…" Stephanie laughed.

"I was a little unsure last time after hitting that tree the first time, but not this time. Once you explained it to me again, I realized it was simpler than I first thought… That, and I snuck out the other night after you brought me home and practiced some more." She smiled sheepishly. Robbie just shook his head.

"Wow. I've never seen someone learn how to ride that fast. Not even me. I thought it would be at least 2 weeks before I thought you could ride it. You've managed to learn how in one. But then, if you've put more time into it than I thought…"

"Well, I guess I've once again managed to surprise you, then, haven't I Mr. Rotten."

"Indeed you have, Ms. Meanswell, indeed you have… Well, since you obviously don't need much more practice with this, we could work with your powers some more."

"Hmmm, that sounds like fun. I haven't really used them in a while; I've been getting kind of restless." Robbie smiled.

"That's good, actually. It means you're getting used to them, used to using them all the time." Stephanie shook her head.

"Well, I suppose… not that I'm not in control or anything, it's just that I can feel the energy building up inside of me. I have to find a way to let it out…" _Oh, yeah, you're in control alright. You nearly set the soccer field on fire because the kids playing on it were getting annoying… But, you're in control._

"_You might wanna let go of some of that pride Stephanie. It's only going to cause you trouble –." _The Voice appeared beside her, once again warning her of stupid things that she didn't care about. She was cut off by Stephanie, who told her to shut up in her thoughts.

~-~-~-~

_**A/N: Just so no one gets confused, the italicized words in quotes are Stephanie's subconscious.**_

~-~-~-~

"Well, alright, then we'll try something that needs a lot of power… How about a shield? You haven't tried that in a while." This went unnoticed by Robbie, as usual.

"That's because it's one of the hardest things to do, but you're right. It's perfect... You know, though I hate to say it, I think I know how Sporta-idiot feels now. Why he never stops moving. He _can't_."

"Try putting a shield around one of those trees; one that'll stay without you holding it there. Then we can test its strength… I never thought I'd here you say something like that. You're right though. White energy, the type of energy hero's have, is hard to contain. It's what makes them as athletic and strong as they are… Not that we aren't strong, of course. Just that their strength is much more physical."

"I…" Stephanie sighed, deciding to wait to ask what that meant for people like her. "Alright." Stephanie looked at one of the trees, the one closest to her, which just happened to be the biggest one in sight, a huge Oak tree. She inhaled deeply, focusing all of her pent up energy and power into her arms and hands. She stared at the tree for a moment, then closed her eyes, imagining the tree with a thick pink shield around it. She stood there, concentrating hard for a moment longer, then allowed the energy to flow through her arms in one long, powerful blast.

"Wow, that's really good!" Robbie seemed plenty satisfied with her shield, so she opened her eyes to look at the tree. Sure enough, a huge, dome shaped, dark pink, filmy shield was covering the tree now, and she too smiled in satisfaction.

"That's my strongest one yet, I just know it."

"I think you're right… let's see." He held out his hand in front of himself, palm up, and a swirling dark purple ball of energy appeared almost instantly. He stayed like that for a moment longer, allowing the energy ball to grow bigger and stronger before heaving it at the shielded tree. It hit the tree with a clash that sounded like metal on metal. The shield around it wavered slightly, but didn't disappear.

"Hmmm, it is pretty strong." He held both his hands out, forming two huge energy balls, and threw them both at the tree. The shield around it wavered a little more, but still stayed intact. "Nice job Pinkie."

"Thanks." She smiled. Robbie gave her a roguish grin, her favorite grin, and this time formed an energy ball with black spikes coming out of it. He threw it full force at the tree, and this time the shield couldn't hold. It shook violently before disappearing. Stephanie looked perturbed.

"Well, jeez, when you use those things on it it's bound to die out." She crossed her arms.

"Oh, calm down, babe. That one was five times more powerful than the last. You're getting stronger everyday it seems. You still never cease to amaze me." Stephanie just rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I'll just try something else…"

"Or maybe… you should come here." He snuck up behind her suddenly and grabbed her by the waist, laughing when she screamed and flailed, causing them both to tumble to the ground.

"That was _not _funny." She yelled, though she was holding back laughter herself.

"Oh, come on, Steph." He'd stopped calling her Pinkie as much not long after they'd starting dated. Instead, he usually called her Steph, or babe. "You know you don't mind it."

"Oh really?" She wriggled out of his arms and turned over so she was now on top of him, one leg on each side of his body. "I think I like this much better." She didn't give him a chance to respond as she brought her face down to his, kissing him deeply, until he flipped them over, giving her his roguish smile again.

"Well, _I_ like _this _much better… I love you."

"And I love you." He kissed her now, and Steph didn't bother to contest their position, as she normally would have, deciding instead to simply enjoy their togetherness. Well, that is she did until she got one of her 'feelings' (her and Robbie had come to call her hero-like urges to save someone her 'feelings'), and The Voice spoke up again.

"_Ok, normally I wouldn't even bother to try and get your attention, but I think it's really serious this time, not just some kid about to fall out of a tree and break his arm. You might want to go check it out. NOW!"_ The Voice was right. There was no mistaking the overwhelming sense of urgency that had taken over Stephanie. She pulled back from Robbie, pushing him off her (wait, since when was she strong enough to do that?) and stood up quickly, closing her eyes, waiting for the vision of what was happening to come to her.

"Jeez, babe, what was that for…" Robbie looked up at Stephanie and blinked. "Steph? Are you alright?" She held up her hand to silence him as the vision she'd been waiting for started to come…

"Oh, no, not another one of your weird visions… I'm telling you, I've never seen a hero who could do that without their crystal. And you're not even a hero! You're really something, you know that kid?"

"I'm old enough to be dating you, Robert Rotten, I'm not a kid. And I know, you've told me that before." She sprinted towards her motorcycle, so fast she was almost a blur (jeez, she was faster too), yet her voice remained calm and collected. "I don't have time to discuss that now, though." She seemed to have gone into full hero-mode, something that had only happened twice before when real disasters had struck. Robbie didn't like seeing her like that, but he'd soon realized that he'd have no choice but to deal with it for now.

"Alright, alright. So, what's happening?" His voice was strained as he tried to be calm and patient. Stephanie was already on her motorcycle, and her voice was still calm, but slightly hurried.

"An apartment building's on fire. Fire fighters were even having a hard time getting close from what I saw." Robbie grimaced. "Don't give me that. You know I can't ignore it when…"

"Hey, all I'm saying is you told me you'd already made your choice. That you wanted to be the villain and nothing could change that. That was, what, two months ago, two days after we went to that club."

"Yeah, I know, but… then when that kid nearly fell out of the tree a week later… He could've broken his neck, he was so far up, I couldn't just leave him."

"And I understood it then, because you weren't in control of your 'feeling's' yet, but you've had plenty of time to get control of them since, and you've chosen to act more and more hero-like ever since. I mean, jeez, one minute your – ." Stephanie cut him off.

"I don't have time for this now. We'll talk later when there aren't babies burning to death in a fire!" Her voice was suddenly very cold; angry. This was not the first time in the last month that they'd had this argument, and she didn't have time for it now. "You know, with how heartless you like to act, I wonder how you can honestly tell me you love me." And with that, she kick started her bike and sped off at full speed towards Lazytown. Robbie stared after her, incredulously, to dumb founded to even think about riding after her. Not that it would have done any good. When things like this happened, there was generally no stopping her…

_**Like I said, filler chapter. Kind of short too… I'll try to update soon to make up for it.**_

_**Oh, and, I know it most likely takes longer than 2 weeks to really learn how to ride a motorcycle, but I don't know how long it actually takes, soo… review please!**_


	24. Balance

Chapter 24: Balance

"Oh, great." Stephanie mumbled to herself as she sped on her motorcycle towards Lazytown. "I'm about to help with a fire that so hot I could easily die in it and all I can think about is Robbie!" She hated it when he was like that; like he was trying to force her to make the decision he wanted her to make. Hadn't he very specifically promised her he wouldn't? Did he really think she was that stupid? Really, he should've known that once the newness wore off she'd change her mind a couple of times… And yet, lately, he was constantly picking fights with her because of it.

_~Flash back~_

_Stephanie walked in (fell into) Robbie's lair, ready to celebrate with him since he'd told her that today was his birthday. She was dressed in her nicest, sexiest outfit, thinking that she'd surprise him by allowing things to go further than she usually did, since they'd been dating for over a month now. She landed gracefully on her feet and smiled when she saw Robbie at his work desk, reading some kind of technical manual (Stephanie had long since realized that he was an amazing inventor, making contraptions that were rather clever, now that she had actually thought about it), too far off in his own world to even notice she was behind him._

_She strutted up to him gracefully and quietly (traits she seemed to have acquired at the same time she got her powers), and slid her arms around his waist._

"_Hey there, baby." He jumped slightly, causing Stephanie to step back from him, but quickly realized that it was only her, and got of the stool, turning to face her._

"_Wow, you look… nice." Something was wrong. His smile seemed forced; his words were oddly empty of any real meaning. Stephanie blinked at first, confused at his odd behavior, but then walked back up to him, swaying her hips seductively, and put her arms around his neck._

"_Thank you. I knew you'd like it. Thought I'd dress up for the birthday boy." He smiled half heartedly, hesitantly putting his arms around her waist. She frowned._

"_What's wrong? You don't like it?"_

"_I said you looked nice…"_

"_Just nice? In this? I spent nearly an hour getting ready to come here, thinking I'd surprise you, and all I get is a forced smile and 'you look nice'. If I did something wrong, just tell me, don't act like an idiot because of it." She pulled away from him._

"_I… I didn't… I mean…" Robbie sighed, pulling her back to him. "You didn't do anything. At least, not on purpose. Just forget about it…. You really do look, uh, hot Steph."_

"_You're still hesitating!" She was about to pull back again, but then decided to take a different approach, one she'd only ever use on Robbie. "Look, if something's bothering you…" She brought her face closer to his, softening her voice, trying to make him relax. "You know you can tell me. I mean, I'm your girlfriend. If you can't tell me, then who can you tell?" She traced his neck with her hand, then dragged it down his chest seductively. _

"_I… It's… it's about the way you've been acting."_

"_Oh? What's wrong with the way I'm acting?" She kept her voice the same, inching her face closer to his._

"_Well, nothing right now." He breathed deeply, trying to keep himself from kissing her. Suddenly her head jerked back._

"_Some one's in trouble!" The words flew out of her mouth before she could think about what she was saying. She didn't need to wait for the vision to come; it was easy to tell this time that it was some kid about to fall from a tree house. She pulled back, more assertively this time, escaping Robbie's grip on her._

"_That's what I'm talking about!"_

"_What?! I'm so confused… I… I should go help…"_

"_That! That's what I'm talking about! You saving people! And helping your aunt and uncle around the house, instead of going out with me like you did the other day. And worrying about Sporta-loony, for crying out loud!"_

"_What? What's wrong with all that! I mean… I know what's wrong with it, or at least what you think is wrong with it, but I… I don't know… I just… I don't have time too... I have to go." She shook her head and ran for the tube leading out of Robbie's lair._

"_You sound like him, you know." She stopped short and turned around fast._

"_Excuse me? You want to repeat that, Robert Rotten?"_

"_You sound like Sportacus, Stephanie Meanswell. You know, the guy you trusted for so long, that you loved. The guy who lied to you for all those years. You sound just like him. Actually, you've been sounding like a total bimbo here lately. Naïve and innocent."_

"_Because I actually care about my aunt and uncle? Because I'm a little worried about where said person is, considering he just up and disappeared over a month ago? Because I don't want some kid to break his neck falling out of a tree?" She was angry now, really angry, and Robbie took a few steps back. Stephanie rarely did get angry, but when she did… well, it was best to run for cover. "I know I want to be – be – be a villain Robbie, but I'm not heartless!"_

"_I never said you were." His voice was calm now; he held his hands up in surrender. "I only said… When we talked for the very first time after you came back from Italy, you didn't care about any of that stuff. You just wanted to have fun, right?" Stephanie's anger was already fading; she was fidgeting in place, the pull towards the kid in the tree house nearly too strong for her to resist._

"_Yeah… Look, Robbie, I don't have time for –." _

"_Just bear with me here. The kid will be fine, I'm sure of it… And then, a month ago, when we first started dating, you said you were having a blast. Parties, guys, the whole enchilada, and you said you were just having fun."_

"_Well, yeah, but…"_

"_Look, all I'm asking is where did that Stephanie go? Not that I don't still love you!" He corrected himself, seeing the hurt expression that came over her face, if only for a split second. "It's just… You were more fun then. You didn't run off to save some one every time we started to have some fun."_

"_Fun? First of all, trust me, we haven't done anything really fun yet." Robbie gave her his roguish grin._

"_Not as innocent as you look. I knew it!"_

"_Shut up… And that Stephanie's right here. The only difference is that common sense finally caught up with her. I'm not like you Robbie, I have a mother who's in the hospital and will never walk again, an uncle who's royalty, along with me, off in some foreign land that I've never been too, and another uncle who's the mayor of this town, rather scatter brained at that, and is in a near panic because Sporta…" She still couldn't quite get his name out. "Left without really leaving a clue as to where he was even going!"_

"_You… You don't… I mean…"_

_~End Flashback~_

That was the first argument they'd had about it, and it had lasted for over two hours. Stephanie had tried her best to avoid doing certain things in front of him ever since, but there were just some instances where she couldn't do anything about it.

"What am I going to do?" She sighed heavily. She really wished she could talk to someone… Someone who wouldn't talk back, someone who would simply listen… All of this faded from her thoughts as she came up to the burning apartment building.

"Holy smokes!" She quickly stood her bike up and jumped off, running straight for the building. She could hear people still inside, screaming for help (screaming in pain, too probably, she realized), and she even heard a few babies crying. She walked towards the building now, keeping a steady pace, and one of the firemen stepped in her way.

"Uh-uh, no way I can let you in there, little miss."

"But I can help, I swear…"

"I'm sorry, it's much too dangerous… We're doing the best we can, but you people have got to let us do our job." Stephanie was not the first person to attempt going in to the building… She sighed heavily, pushing past the man and heading for the entrance to spite his warning.

"_You'd better put up a shield, the best you can do, otherwise you may not make two steps inside." _The Voice was quick to intervene.

"I don't know if I…" She started to get nervous. She'd hadn't been near any real fires, not since she'd gotten caught in her old house.

"_NO, you have to try!" _The voice tried to encourage her.

"Ok, ok, I'll do my best." She began to breath as deeply as she could, allowing the energy to flow out of her and form a bubble around her.

"_Thatta girl! That's great! I just hope it'll hold…"_

"Alright, here goes nothing." Stephanie plunged into the building.

She heard voices coming from several different directions. She stepped over burning boards and even some holes in the floor, and managed to get to several people pretty quickly.

"_Try to put your shield around them! Hurry, hurry!" _ The Voice was trying to help Stephanie. She took the advice, doing to her best to extend her shield around the victims. She led them as best she could out of the building, where several ambulances were waiting, and the firemen looked at Stephanie with looks of… respect? Or something like it, anyways. She could still here a baby crying from inside…

"Oh, crap, you've gotta be kidding…" She mumbled to herself. She was weak already; she was leaning up against a wall. There was no way she could keep her shield up… "But even without it, I'm more likely to survive than the poor firemen…" Before anyone could try to stop her she ran back into the building…

* * *

"Oh, jeez Steph, what have you gotten yourself into…" Robbie started to get worried as he came up to the building. _I know she couldn't have kept her shield up for that long, not in there of all places…_ He approached one of the firemen.

"Di – did a girl with pink hair go in there?" The man looked at him strangely.

"Yeah. Chick must be outta her mind; I told her it was too dangerous, but she just waltzed right in anyways. Got most everyone out, though. She just went back in after we heard a baby crying inside… I hope the poor girl makes it out. She was beautiful, and young too. It be a miracle if she does make it out. Do you know who she is?" Robbie was starting to get really worried. _Calm down you idiot…._

"Uh, yeah, she's, uh, Stephanie Meanswell. My, uh, girlfriend actually."

"Wait, aren't you…? And isn't she…?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up." Robbie didn't want to hear it. The firemen shook his head.

"If she doesn't come outta there soon… I think I'd better go in after her." He started walking towards the burning building, but just before he could get in, Stephanie came running out, burned in several places and coughing more than she was breathing, but also holding a beautiful baby girl in her arms, completely unharmed. A woman stepped forward to claim the child almost immediately, so upset she was nearly hysterical. Stephanie leaned up against the nearest ambulance, still coughing, and tried to talk to the poor woman.

"She's, *cough*, reallyfrightened, *gasp, cough*, but I thinkshe's, *cough, cough, gasp*, alright."

"Oh, oh thank you, thankyouthankyou!" That seemed to be all the woman could get out as she held her baby against her chest, trying to comfort the girl as she cried. Robbie ran up to Stephanie, pushing the woman out of the way.

"That was an extremely stupid thing to do, even for someone like you! What on earth were you thinking?!"

"I, *cough, cough, cough*, Iwas more likelyto survive, *cough, cough*, thanthe – oh, I can'tbreathe." She finally collapsed on the ground. A paramedic came up and pushed Robbie out of the way.

"Sorry, sir, we need to get her oxygen now." The woman helped Stephanie stand and get to the back of the ambulance, giving her an oxygen mask. Robbie followed.

"Robbie, I *cough*, I'm not going to talk about, *cough*, this now." Her coughing was already becoming less violent and frequent.

"I… You shouldn't have done that. Now the whole town's going to think you're some kind of replacement for Sporta – whatever-his-name-is."

"Good… Let them. I doubt that's such a bad idea anyways. You can just scamper on back to your lair, now, because I refuse to say anything further about it." Robbie opened his mouth once, then closed it, and leaned in close to her, kissing her cheek and whispering in her ear.

"Ok, ok. I love you, Steph." And with that, he turned and walked away. The woman blinked beside her.

"Boyfriend? Him? I'm very sorry." Stephanie shook her head.

"Yeah. Right now, so am I." The woman looked at her strangely.

"You… You had burns everywhere a minute ago… you couldn't breathe… how… You… you're perfectly fine now… What…?"

"Uh, long story, lady, long story." Stephanie didn't feel like explaining.

"The only person who…"

"Yeah, I know. Sportacus." she didn't hesitate to say his name. "I… I'm obviously fine now. I should get out of your way." Stephanie stood up and walked away before the woman could say anything.

* * *

Pixel had been looking everywhere for Stephanie. The mayor and Bessie had very specifically asked him to talk to her… said she'd been acting weird. He'd been knee deep in school work and projects lately; he hadn't seen much of anyone. But he could tell by the way the mayor looked at him… something was definitely wrong.

Finally, he found her. She was sitting on a park bench, staring at the sunset. _The Mayor said she was dating Robbie, of all people; wouldn't she be with him…?_ He shrugged to himself and walked up to her, since that was, of course, the only way for him to get answers.

"Hey, Steph… Whoa." He blinked as he came close enough to see what she was wearing. She was in all black; the tank top she had on underneath her (singed?) leather jacket barely covered her midsection, showing off much of her chest and stomach. The pants she was wearing were also black; skinny jeans with chains hanging off of them. Her shoes were, of course, black also. They appeared to be some sort of skater shoes. Her makeup was done gaudily, and she looked out of sorts. She smelled like smoke from a fire.

"Pixel?" She looked at him, confused, as if she had been in a trance. "I… haven't seen you in a while. You ok?"

"Uh, a better question would be, are you? Jeez, that's a nice outfit, but it looks like it got kind of ruined… Did you dye your hair? It looks a lot darker."

"Uh, thanks, I think. It's a long story… No, I didn't. It's darker?"

"I… nevermind. I know we haven't talked in a while… I've been pretty busy." Stephanie smiled.

"Hahaha, that's part of the reason why I didn't finish college."

"I… I'm not even going to answer that… I heard you got a new boyfriend."

"Yeah, well, I don't think it's gonna last much longer."

"Why not? I mean, if it's Robbie, I can probably figure it out, but…"

"Because he's a big heartless jerk and it's taken me nearly two months to realize it." Pixel just raised his eyebrows.

"Ok… You want to talk about it?" She chuckled.

"I'm a dumbass. There's nothing more to it."

"No, you're not. He is."

"You have no idea. This," she gestured toward her outfit, "was all for him. I've… well, I don't want to dump all of this on you."

"Oh, come on. It's me! You can tell me anything, you know that." He smiled and added, "you sound a lot like Sportacus used too." Stephanie suddenly looked amused.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I mean, the few times it seemed like something was wrong with him. He never wanted to talk about it, said it wouldn't help to dump it on us."

"Yeah, I remember…" She sighed. "Wish I knew where he was…"

"I…" Pixel decided to keep the conversation as light as possible. He jumped up to sit on the wall next to the bench, taking off his jacket. "It's warm out here isn't? Unusual for this time of year…" Stephanie didn't answer immediately, so he tried a different approach. "You look hot, you know. Really hot. That look kind of suits you, oddly enough." Stephanie snorted.

"Yeah, that's what Robbie said."

"Hey, no one can make you dress a certain way. Or, do anything for that matter. Especially not Robbie Rotten."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, I like this look on me too… But there's other things…"

"Like what?"

"I… He's been… well, taking me to these clubs and parties. It's a long story, but… I don't know. I thought it was all harmless, just for fun, but now I'm not so sure… Sorry, there's a lot you don't know about." She stood up, walking away from the bench a little bit, and took of her jacket. "You're right, it is warm out here."

"Well, I don't have to know anything to know that that doesn't sound good. And it definitely doesn't sound like you. But then, you don't look like you, either, so I don't know."

"Well… I don't know either. I've been making this up as I go along, and at first that was ok, but now…"

"Alright, look, I'll give you some advice if you promise to tell me the whole story behind this later." Stephanie turned to him and smiled.

"I'd love to spend some time with you anyways. Yeah, you've got a deal."

"Alright, good. Here's what I think. It sounds, to me, like you just kind of dived right into whatever this is without really thinking about it. Like you just wanted to have fun, for once, without worrying about the consequences. And that makes sense. You always seem to worry too much. But… maybe your problem is that you need to find a balance. A balance between being, uh, this Stephanie, dark and mysterious, and the normal Stephanie, bright and outgoing." Stephanie blinked.

"I guess I never thought of it that way. Thanks, Pixel. Really. That was… really helpful."

"Well, uh, that's good…" He looked Stephanie up and down, really taking in her appearance. "Jeez, Steph, have you been working out? I don't think I've ever seen quite so much muscle on a girl…" It was true; Stephanie's once slender, feminine body was now much more muscular. "I swear, you're starting to look just like Sportacus. And… whoa, what's going on with your...?" He pointed towards her ears.

"Yeah, I have been working out, sort of… Wait, why are you pointing at my…" Her hand suddenly shot up to her ear. She blinked and her eyes got wide as she felt the top of it, which felt oddly pointy.

"Oh, no. I'm turning into a Vulcan!" Pixel blinked and burst out laughing. Stephanie made a face and was about to say something when she suddenly heard Robbie's voice.

"Stephanie?! Jeez, I've been looking everyone where for you, where the he…."

"ROBBIE! YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT POINTY EARS!"

_**And I'll stop there, because this is a really long chapter. But it's also mostly dialogue, sooo… Yes, Stephanie has pointy elf ears. I will explain it in the next chapter. **____** Please review!**_


	25. She Feels Like a Woman

Chapter 25: She Feels Like a Woman.

"ROBBIE! YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT POINTY EARS!" Robbie blinked in confusion, so Stephanie pulled back her hair, pointing at her ears.

"Oh. That's because you shouldn't have them. Only, uh, good elves have them. Only heroes." He came towards Stephanie, but she put her hand up to stop him.

"Don't even think about it."

"Look, it's not my fault. I don't know why you have them, but you might want to cover them back up, because they look very silly." He started chuckling. Pixel, who had stopped laughing when Robbie walked up, jumped off the wall and walked towards Stephanie.

"Don't listen to him. It doesn't look that silly. Robbie, leave, now." Robbie rolled his eyes.

"You can't do anything to me, muscles, so don't even try." Pixel blinked at Robbie, looking like he wanted to attack him.

"He's right, Pixel, just relax. Robbie…" She paused, trying to decide what to say next, not wanting to be mean. But, then Robbie gave her an impatient look, and she remembered just who she was talking to. " I think you and me should take a break."

"Yeah, Poodle, just relax. Steph… Wait, what?"

"You heard me. I'm tired of you constantly trying to make me be… this stupid, reckless, bad girl that you've been forcing me to be. I don't think I've made one decision completely on my own since I got here."

"But… I –."

"No, don't. I'll… I'll see you later." Robbie just blinked.

"I… I mean, uh…Y-y-you can, uh, keep the bike." Stephanie gave him a strange look, but he turned and left before she could say anything further. Pixel came to life next to her.

"You ok, Steph?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll probably wind up changing my mind soon, stupid as I am, but I'm fine."

"You're not stupid. And I hope you don't…" She gave him a sad look. "Ok, you know what? Forget about Robbie for now. It's only six o' clock. How about you go home and get, uh, cleaned up, and I'll pick you up at seven? We can go eat someplace and you..." He kissed her forehead. "Can maybe tell me what on earth is going on?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah. You probably won't believe what I have to tell you, but that sounds good, Pixel. I'll… see you then." She walked over to her motorcycle; kick started it, and zoomed off before Pixel could say another word.

* * *

Stephanie zoomed as fast as she could make her bike go whilst doing zig zags through the streets of Lazytown. She knew Pixel plenty well enough to know that when he said 'go eat someplace', he generally meant someplace nice. It had been a long time since she'd gone out anywhere nice, so she decided to really dress herself up. _Come to think of it, I haven't done that in a while either._ Of course, she had dress clothes. She just hadn't really gone anywhere where she would were them. Not that they were real expensive or overly fancy. To spite the fact that she had more than enough money for that sort of thing, she had ultimately chosen to spend it on more clothing, rather than fancier clothing. And, all of that aside, fancy stuff wasn't really her thing anymore anyways.

She walked into the house (half skipped in, really. She was suddenly glowing, her mood much more light than usual), and stopped to briefly greet her aunt and uncle in the kitchen.

"Hey uncle Milford, aunt Bessie." She gave them a genuine smile.

"Well, hello there, my dear." Her uncle stood up from the table and smiled. "We were, uh, expecting you to be out with Robbie by now?" It sounded like more of a question than a statement.

"Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense… It'll probably be a while before you hear me say his name again. I… we split, so to speak, for a while." Her aunt and uncle looked surprised. Her uncle tried to speak.

"You… I mean… You seemed so…"

"I know. I just… well… forget about it, alright? Hey, I have to go get ready, Pixel's coming in about an hour to pick me up. We're going to dinner. You guys don't mind, do you?"

"Pixel? Well, I don' t know why we would, but…" She was gone before her uncle could finish his sentence. He looked at his wife, thinking perhaps she could give him some kind of explanation, but she only shrugged and walked out of the room.

* * *

Stephanie came down about fifty minutes later, dressed nicely in a little black dress with a nice pair of heals on. Her makeup was done lighter than usual, and her hair (which, she had grown a little longer over the past few months), was curled and pinned up in back, covering her now pointy ears where it came down in front, looking much fancier that it actually was.

"Oh, my, Stephanie. You look… like a million bucks." Her uncle blinked, then smiled.

"For all we know, that outfit could be a million bucks." Her aunt chuckled slightly.

"No, not even close. The dress and the shoes were, I believe, only about a hundred put together… Oh, do you want some help with that? I have a minute or two before he gets here." She gestured toward her aunt, who was doing the dishes.

"Help?" Bessie nearly dropped the dish she was holding. Stephanie never offered to help around the house, not anymore. "Uh, no dear, that's fine, I, uh, wouldn't want you to get dishwater on you're pretty little dress."

"None sense." Stephanie grabbed a dish towel and started drying the dishes. "It's no big deal. I'm happy to help." Bessie put the dish rag into the sink and turned to face Stephanie.

"Alright, what on earth has gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you've been spending more time with Robbie than you have anyone else these past couple of months. I haven't seen you outside, except when you're going somewhere. You've been dressing like a biker for heaven's sake, you've had your mother and the two of us," she gestured toward Milford, who was quietly watching the exchange from his seat at the table, "worried sick about you! And yet this past week you've been staying home more, and helping out, and you look beautiful! Like the wonderful young woman we used to know. And then there was earlier… People are saying you ran right into that building and managed to get everyone out? And then you apparently had horrible burns again, but they just disappeared."

"Aunt Bessie, please calm down. I… want to explain. I do. But I can't. You wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Try me."

"No. At least… not right now. I don't have time, anyways. All you need to know is… is that I did save those people and it wasn't as big a deal as everyone thought."

"I… fine. Don't tell me. I'm pretty sure I've already got it figured out anyways… Everyone's going to want you, though. Want you to… replace Sportacus, if that's even possible."

"I know. I think it is possible. I mean, maybe… Just, tell everyone… Tell everyone they can let their kids go out and play, at least. To stop being so paranoid. I'll watch over them as best I can. Oh, that's Pixel." She headed for the door as someone knocked at it. Bessie stopped her.

"Your uncle and I know more than you think we do." She walked up and brushed some of Stephanie's hair away from her ear. "Your mother isn't totally oblivious, either. I know you can do just as well as Sportacus. I'm just glad you changed your mind about Robbie." Stephanie blinked.

"I… I'll, uh, I'll explain a little more later." And with that, she walked out of the house.

* * *

"Wow, Pixel," Stephanie looked around the restaurant, "when you said you'd pay for dinner… Well, I know this place must be expensive."

"Yeah, it is, but I have a little money to spend. It's really no big deal." Stephanie made a face.

"Yes, well, we'll see about that… I hope the food is as good as I've heard."

"Oh, it is." He smiled. "Very good. It's been a long time since we've done something like this, but I seem to recall you being the kind of girl who can eat." Stephanie just smiled at this. The waiter came quickly, taking their orders, and Pixel started to seem anxious.

"Alright, Steph, I'm dying to know. What's really going on with you and Robbie?"

"It's going to sound completely unbelievable, but…" She went on to explain everything to Pixel, from her powers, to being a princess, to the apparent reason for her pointy ears. He sat and listened, making no real comment except to appraise the food when it came. "And that basically leads up to what you saw today. Robbie's a jerk, I'm a totally oblivious idiot, and Sportacus… Well, I'm not so fond of him right now, but I'm still worried about him. I just wish I knew where he was." Pixel stared at her for a long moment.

"Not quite as unbelievable as you'd think. I always knew there was something magical about the way things work in Lazytown. I never figured I was so dead on about it, but…"

"Yeah. I… It's crazy. But you get used to it pretty quickly when you're in the middle of all the craziness."

"Yeah, I would guess so… Wait, you said you have no idea where Sportacus is?"

"Yeah, no clue."

"Well, did you ever stop to think that he went back to… where ever you guys are from?"

"Iceland? No, I never thought of that."

"And didn't you say Robbie's sister could see the future? Maybe you could talk to her… I don't know, I'm just throwing some things out there really. I'm kind of…"

"In shock?" Stephanie chuckled.

"Something like that." He smiled playfully. "No, not really. I'm just trying to figure things out."

"Yeah, good luck. That's exactly what I've been doing for the past couple of months, but, obviously, it hasn't worked out so well. That's not a bad idea though. I mean, Robbie won't want to help. He's glad to be rid of Sportacus. But I know his sister's number, so…"

"So you can easily get a hold of her." Pixel finished for her and smiled slightly. "Hey, you never really mentioned where you met her… for that matter, I don't think you mentioned anything about the places Robbie took you too… sorry, I'm just curious."

"Don't be sorry. I don't blame you for wanting to know. I just have a feeling I shouldn't go into too much detail about said places. I mean, I have a bad feeling I've already told you too much. The way Robbie put it was 'the less the humans know, the better.' No, offense…"

"None taken. If you think I'm better off not knowing some things, then don't tell me. I have no problem with being the 'oblivious little human'. I probably don't want to know…" He smiled slightly. "Hmmm, do you want leave now, or get some dessert first?"

"No, let's go. I kind of want to get home… get some sleep so I can get up at a reasonable time tomorrow." She paused, then mumbled "I've been going a bit overboard on sweets lately anyways." Pixel gave her an odd look, but ignored her last statement.

"Oh? Any particular reason for wanting to get up earlier?" Pixel raised an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled.

"My sleeping schedule's really off, that's all. Besides, I told aunt Bessie… well, never mind. You'll see tomorrow, probably." She smiled. "Shall we?"

"I guess." They got up to leave and were back in Pixel's car heading home no more than five minutes later. They didn't wind up going straight home, though, oddly enough. Stephanie had seen some random dance club along the road, not like the one's Robbie had taken her too, but a nice place. A place where only people who had some spending money would go, and she had insisted that they go and dance for a while. She, of course, wowed the people in the club with her amazing dance skills, and Pixel was able to follow along with her, being not to bad at dancing himself. They went to sit down after an hour and a half of non-stop dancing, and were getting ready to leave a few minutes later when a man, handsome and rich, it seemed, approached Stephanie and (in an oddly gentlemen-like manner), asked her to go home with him. Pixel hadn't liked this too much, needless to say, and exchange that took place was as follows:

"Excuse me, _sir_, but this woman is my date, and if she's going to go home with anyone, it'll be with me." Pixel tried to be somewhat polite, slipping an arm around Stephanie's waist casually to show he wasn't joking (though, of course, he was lying). Stephanie chuckled slightly.

"So sorry, but he's right." She turned around and gave Pixel a peck on the lips. "I _am _going home with him tonight." The man looked Pixel up and down, as if her were sizing him up. A genuine laugh escaped Pixel's lips. The man was not all that tall, or strong, that much was obvious, and Pixel could have broken his arm like it was a twig if he wanted to. Stephanie caught this and was quick to say something about it. "Oh, and, I doubt you want to mess with him. He works out _hard_ and I'm sure he could snap you in half like a twig if he wanted." The man seemed to realize this as well, as he stared to back away.

"I'm sorry, I meant to harm. Goodnight to both of you." And with that he was gone. Pixel smiled and pecked Stephanie's cheek, letting go of her waist.

"Well, that was… interesting. Ready to go now?" Stephanie laughed.

"Yeah, I am. It's really late now, anyways. Let me go to the bathroom first…" She walked into the ladies room and paused to look at herself in the mirror. Her subconscious, who had been oddly quiet for quite some time now, appeared next to her, dressed the same as her for once.

"_Nice, isn't it. That feeling."_

"yeah, I guess. I mean, I don't quite know what said feeling is..."

"_Well, it's definitely different from any feelings you had around Robbie. Maybe because he never treated you like Pixel just did, hmmm? And you were always so flirtatious with the men he introduced you to. You would have gladly gone home with one of them after you and Robbie…" _The Voice trailed off at that. Stephanie looked herself over in the mirror once more before replying.

"I feel… like a woman." And with that, she left the bathroom to be escorted out of the club by Pixel.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Lazytown, Robbie Rotten was, quite literally, thinking in circles. He couldn't stop thinking about, of course, Stephanie. Had she really broken up with him? Well, no, that's not how she'd put it. 'Take a break'? What the hell did that mean anyways? It made no sense in his mind. And then he'd been so sure she'd come back later that night, too, but noooo, she'd gone home instead. Gotten herself all dolled up, too, from what he'd seen. And for that _boy_, no less. Pixel was his name, right? Why on earth would she basically break up with one guy just to go on some fancy-pants date with another? Jeez, that chick didn't make any sense sometimes. But, then again, that's why he'd – dare he say it? – fallen in _love _with her, now wasn't it? She was out there, unpredictable. He never knew what she was going to do or say next. This fact, oddly enough, served to give him some comfort. So, she was a little flighty. All villains tended to be like that, himself included. She'd be back in a few days, once this whole 'I'm not so sure' thing blew over, right? Of course, right. Besides, any woman Stephanie's age who'd seen Robbie at his 'best' would _kill _to be with him. He had yet to meet one that could simply walk away like that and stay away for very long.

But, then, the real problem was this: Stephanie Meanswell was _not _just _any _woman.

* * *

_**(A/N: Just so you don't get confused, I decided to give you guys some minor clues here as to what's happened to poor Sporty.)**_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Cold. It was so cold in here.

That was the first thing Sportacus noticed when he started to come too. It wasn't long before he started to notice other things too, like the fact that he seemed to be leaning up against a pole, made of concrete, it seemed, and the fact that the room he was in was silent. Completely silent. Eerily silent. He didn't like it, not one bit. He opened his eyes, finally, only to discover that it really didn't help much. The room was so dimly lit he could hardly see anything anyways. There seemed to be a little bit of moonlight coming through a very small window on the opposite side of the room…

His head was pounding. Had he been hit on the head? No, that was impossible. He'd have seen his attacker coming a mile away in that case. The rest of his body ached too… had he fought someone maybe? Had they gotten in a good blow to the head? It would take a lot of force to knock Sportacus out, and even more force to make it so he wouldn't even remember it when he came too. Still, it _was _entirely possible…

He tried to stand up, and managed to do so alright, but it wasn't long before a sickening wave of dizziness hit him, and he tumbled back down to the floor. _Jeez, I haven't felt quite like this sense…_ he suddenly started having flashbacks of some nights spent with Robbie's sister, Ju – er – _her_. Very wild nights, too… _No, it can't be… well, maybe… but then how did I end up here…_ He started to breathe a little heavier as his current situation started to sink in. He was in a random room, with very little light, in an unknown place. There were no noises, no particular smells; hell, he wasn't even getting the feeling that danger, (his attacker, more than likely), was nearby. He tried to stop the horrible feelings that began to over take him. He tried his hardest to not start panicking. He tried his hardest not to freak out. But it was hard. Very hard. And before the night was through, he lose the fairly pointless battle to stay in complete control, if only for a little while. Because this wasn't the first time he'd been a situation like this, oh no. No, this had happened many times before. And the last time he'd nearly been killed. Only this time was worse. This time, he really had a reason to panic.

_This _time he had no clue what was going on. He didn't even know who it was that had brought him here.

_This_ time Sportacus couldn't even remember who he was with when he was taken, or where he'd been for that matter.

_This _time, he didn't know what to expect. And _that_ was, perhaps, the scariest thing of all.

_**Sorry it took a while to update. I've been pretty busy here lately… but I should have the next chapter up fairly soon, and this one is super long, so… Review please!**_


	26. Lazytown's Dark Angel

Chapter 26: Lazytown's (Dark) Angel

"_Ah, Stephanie. I'm assuming, since you're once again gracing us with your presence, that this means you've made your choice." The 100-year-old king himself said, looking every bit as regal and powerful as a king ought to when seated on his throne in the middle of a throne-room that looked like it belonged in a medieval castle. Stephanie, who was not as graceful as most of the women around her were when wearing a dress, being as unused to it as she was, just barely managed a proper curtsy before responding._

"_Yes, your Majesty, I have."_

"_And might I also assume, since you are wearing the proper attire, that you have chosen to take your rightful place as queen?" _

"_Yes, your Majesty, I have." Under normal circumstances, everyone in the room, including Stephanie, would have looked much less solemn. But, with things being as they were, no one could really bring themselves to smile or look happy, because they really weren't. The king sighed, momentarily giving up on the formalities. _

"_You'll have to forgive us, my dear, for not looking happier. With our son – your uncle – still missing and so much tension between… well, I'm afraid even such good news as this isn't enough to make anyone happy."_

"_I miss him, too, grandfather. That's why I have chosen to become queen." She turned to a man, dressed in a hero's uniform, who was standing to the right of the king._

"_I want to find him. I cannot help but think it's my fault he's gone, and I have a feeling I know where to look for him. So, with Milord and Lady's permission of course, I want Jason to begin training me as soon as possible. With any luck I can find Sportacus, bring him back, and then we can fix the – er – reason for all of said tension." The old king exchanged a look with his queen before looking back at Stephanie._

"_Alright, so be it. It should not take too much training to turn you into a proper hero, as you already know how to use your powers and control yourself fairly well. All that is left, it seems, is discipline. I'll give you two weeks before we begin the proper ceremony and you will then take," he sighed, standing and walking up to Stephanie, "you will then take Sportacus' place as head of all the heroes. Forget about being queen for now. Your coronation can wait until after we find him." He then kissed Stephanie's forehead in a fatherly manner as the queen stepped down from her throne also, pulling Stephanie into a hug._

_As all of this was taking place, a man clad in black jeans, a black wife-beater, and a pair of leather boots was running frantically down the halls of the royal palace, trying desperately to get to the throne room. His body, far more muscular and agile than it had been the last time he'd entered the palace, ran so quickly down the winding corridors that he was almost a blur. His hands were glowing a deep purple, a not-so-subtle threat to all of the guards trying to stop him that he would fry anyone who got in his way. He managed to make it to the throne room in record time, and burst through the doors to a sight that was, in fact, rather shocking to him._

_Standing in the middle of the room was the king, the queen, and… his should-be fiancée, Stephanie. She was wearing a disgustingly beautiful bright pink dress, and she had a tiara sitting delicately atop her head. She was embracing the queen at that particular moment… or, at least, she was until the man burst through the doors and simply stood there, looking absolutely dumbfounded._

"_Stephanie? What the hell?"_

"_R-Robbie? Is that you?" Her eyes flew over his body in shock: muscular arms, a huge chest, and what looked like a 6 pack outlined underneath the wife-beater._

"_Yeah, Steph, it's me –." He was cut off abruptly as the king pointed an angry finger at him._

"_What are _you_ back in _my_ palace?!" He boomed. "Guards, get him!" Robbie's hands started glowing purple again as he got into a fighting stance. He barely had time to do even this, though, as well over 20 guards, who'd been strategically hidden around the perimeter of the throne-room, advanced on him glowing their own colors or holding weapons that could easily kill with one shot or blow…_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Julia Rotten screamed 'noooo!' in her sleep before waking up with a start. She bolted up right in bed, sweat pouring down her face, her chest heaving, and blinked as she took in her surroundings: huge gothic style canopy red and black colored bed, blood red walls, a huge flat screen television, a chest of drawers made of a dark wood… _Oh, thank the gods; it was just a dream…_ She shook her head. No, not a dream. It was far too real to have just been a simple dream. No, no, that had to have been a night terror, a vision in dream form.

"Oh boy. Robbie! Robbie, I have to talk to Robbie. And that pretty little girlfriend of his… really, leave it to him to fall in love with _her_ for crying out loud." She looked at the clock: it was 8:15 in the morning. _He won't even be awake, but screw it, I'm calling anyways._ She picked up the phone next to her bed and dialed her brother's number.

"_Mmm, ello?"_

"Robbie? It's me, Julia."

"………" The line went dead. He'd hung up.

"GRRRR!" She dialed his number again, resisting the urge to crush the poor phone in her hand out of anger. It rang for quite a few times before he finally picked up again.

"_What do you want, Julia?"_

"Where is your girlfriend? Stephanie? Is she there?"

"_No, she dumped me. Why do you care?"_

"Dumped you? But my dr – I mean can you tell her to call me? She should know my number…"

"_Yeah, sure, if I even see her or she'll even listen to me. Ain't likely."_

"Try. Trust me."

"_No. Leave me alone."_

"Are you hung over or something? You're being grumpier than usual…"

"_If I am, it's none of your business. Now, leave me alone._" And with that, he hung up again. She didn't bother to call him back this time. She suddenly had a 'feeling' that Stephanie was going to call her later anyways…

* * *

Her 'feeling' was correct, of course. Stephanie did plan to call her, but not until much later that night. At the time, though, calling her ex's sister had been the last thing on 22 year old queen-to-be's mind. It was now 9:00pm. She'd been up since 8:00 and she'd spent the entire day looking after the kids in Lazytown in much the same fashion as Sportacus. _I've been doing his for about a week now, I ought to been exhausted, _she thought to herself, _I always wondered just how Sportacus did it. Now I know; never ending amount of energy._ She was now heading home. _Gotta get some sleep, I guess, if I'm to keep this up for long._

"_Or, maybe you should go see Robbie…" _The voice appeared next to her.

"Hm. Where have you been? Haven't seen you since last week with Pixel…"

"_Yeah I know. You haven't really needed me, I guess…"_

"Wait; did you just suggest that I go visit _Robbie_?"

"_Yeah, I did. Something tells me it couldn't hurt." _Stephanie blinked.

"Alright. I guess…" She began hesitantly walking towards Robbie's.

"_Oh, just don't except anything sugary from him._"

"Sugary? Uh, not really in the mood for sweets, but why?"

"_Just trust me."_ Stephanie blinked, (it seemed to her that her subconscious wasn't making sense anymore, though she did vaguely remember something about Sportacus not being able to have sugar), but kept going. It wasn't too long before she was standing in front of the tube leading to his lair. _I should probably knock… _She knocked, but nobody answered. She knocked again, and heard a half hearted mumble to go away. She rolled her eyes and decided to go down anyways. She slid down the tube and landed gracefully on her feet, as always, and smiled at Robbie, who was sleeping in his fuzzy orange chair.

"Robbie? Wake up…" She walked up and nudged him gently… well, she thought it was gently, but judging from the way he jumped and fell out of the chair…

"Robbie, you silly klutz, it's just me." He looked up at Stephanie. To spite the fact that it was the middle of autumn, it was extremely warm out, so much so that Stephanie was dressed in a t-shirt and Capri's with gym shoes on, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail (yet somehow still covering her ears), and Robbie suddenly looked confused.

"Is this a dream? Or have I just died and gone to heaven?" Stephanie gave him an odd look.

"No, Robbie, you're not dreaming, and I'm far from being and angel. You of all people should know that." Robbie blinked.

"Oh. Too bad. Why are you here?"

"I don't know. My, uh, subconscious suggested I come here. I've no idea why…"

"Well…" He stood up, standing so close to Stephanie that she could feel his breath on her neck. "Unless you want to apologize or something I suggest you leave." Stephanie's own breathe quickened at the memory of what had happened the last time Robbie was that close to her.

"No, I don't plan on apologizing. I just… had a feeling I should come here, that's all." Robbie smiled slightly with satisfaction. He'd been planning to do this since first she left. The next time he saw her he was going to make darn sure she couldn't walk away again, not like that at least. He leaned in closer.

"A feeling you should come here, huh? Just wanted to see me, perhaps?"

"Well, yeah, I guess…" She looked down warily at Robbie's lips, then turned around abruptly.

"Forget this. I'm leaving." She began to walk back to the entrance, but Robbie grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.

"No. You're not."

"As if you could really stop me."

"Good point. I can't. But I know you. You don't want to leave."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. That's none of your business. Goodbye, Robbie."

"It is my business; you're my should-be girlfriend. Stay. Please…"

"Please? Wow, never thought I'd here you say _that_." She half sneered at him before pulling her wrist back and starting to walk away again.

"Yes. Please."

"Why? Give me one good reason…"

"Because. I… miss you, ok? I… want you to stay. I don't care if your, uh, saving people or not…"

"Really? You don't care? Since when?" She crossed her arms and gave him a look, and suddenly she reminded Robbie a whole lot of Sportacus.

"Since I realized I…" he trailed off.

"You what?"

"I… I…" He couldn't get the words out. It was completely against his nature to even think about telling someone that…

"Spit it out, Robbie, or I'm leaving."

"I… love… you, Stephanie." She blinked.

"Liar."

"NO! No, please I'm not lying." He walked slowly back up to her. "I really do love you." Stephanie stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You… You… I mean I…" She stumbled over her words, unsure of what to say. Robbie continued to walk towards her, backing her up into a bedroom to which the door just happened to be open…

"I didn't realize it until after you left me that I love you. I really, truly do. It's stupid, I know. You probably don't even love me back, which is perfectly fine. Just please… stay here. For one ni –" Stephanie cut him off suddenly as she slammed him up against a wall, kissing him feverishly, forgetting about the fact that she was supposed to be home sleeping right now, doing what she should've been doing as the town's supposed 'guardian angel.' Robbie stiffened at first in surprise, but soon started kissing her back, his hands sneaking down to pull her shirt up and off of her (incredibly sexy, in his eyes) body. She didn't protest at all, but instead did the same to him, dragging her hand down his chest. He turned them around in one surprisingly swift movement, throwing Stephanie onto the bed and crawling on top of her.

"I told you, didn't I. I knew you didn't want to leave." He smiled at her mischievously as he started kissing her neck. Stephanie moaned softly before replying. She could easily here her subconscious in the back round, telling her she needed to leave now, that this was a big mistake…

"I guess you were right… Oh, jeez, I really shouldn't be here. I should be at… home… sleeping…" She dug her nails into his back. Now it was his turn to moan, it seemed…

"Since when do you do what's _right_ pinkie?" He reached around to unhook her bra, nipping at her neck now. She began to breathe heavier.

"Since I became Lazytown's 'guardian angel.' That's what they're calling me, you know?" He managed to get her bra off, and she flipped them over before he could do anything else, straddling him.

"Yeah, I know. It fits… so, our wonderful little town's 'angel' has a darker-bad-girl side. No one can sue you for that, right?" She shrugged slightly, then brought her lips down to his.

"You *kiss* are a *kiss* horrible *kiss a little longer* influence on *kiss, longer still* me *kiss until neither can breathe* you know that?" She somehow managed to keep talking between the kisses that Robbie was pulling her down for, all the while letting her hands roam freely up and down his body, just as he was doing to her.

"Oh, I know." He smiled, then flipped them back over, coming down to kiss her breasts. "And yet, you keep coming back for more." She gave him and annoyed look and dug her nails into his back again, dragging them down to form scratches. He moaned with pleasure again, as she tried to hold back from doing the very same.

"Only because I haven't done this with you, or anyone else for that matter, in a while."

"Sure, sure princess." He smirked and got off of her. "If that's true, then leave. You can always find someone else, no?" She smiled, crawling on top of him before he could say anything else.

"Who said I wanted to leave?" Her hands found their way down to undo his pants. "And who said I wanted anyone else?" She practically tore his pants off, throwing them carelessly to the side, coming down to kiss him once again before he could even begin to come up with a reply…

* * *

And at that same moment Robbie's telephone began to ring.

Julia had seen what was now going on no more than an hour earlier, having been looking for any visions concerning Robbie or Stephanie. She had been taken completely off guard, of course, as she had not at all expected to see what she had seen, but oh well. _Sorry to rain on your little parade, guys, but this is important…_ The phone rang. And rang. And rang...

_**Weird place to stop it, I know, but I haven't quite gotten the phone conversation figured out yet. This chapter's a little short, but I was also sort of experimenting here, in case you hadn't noticed… tell me what you think, please!**_


	27. Sportacus in Trouble

_**Just thought it best to warn that there are some minor references to a character being Bi/Gay (more **_**implying**_** that she is). I **_**may**_** take that further in later chapters, I haven't decided yet, but just to let those who may not like it so much know…**_

Chapter 27: Sportacus… In Trouble?

The phone rang several times, and then finally went to the answering machine. Julia, who was not about to give up that easily, hung up and dialed again. It rang. And rang. And rang… She was starting to get really frustrated now. _I know you two are 'busy' but this is a little more important than your kinky little sex scene. _She dialed the number a third time, and it rang four times before a very out of breath (and extremely annoyed) Robbie answered.

"_What is it Julia?!"_

"A little busy over there, are we Robbie?" She chuckled at her brother.

"_Yes, a little, but I'm sure you got a good picture earlier. Just don't get any ideas, she's mine and she doesn't even go that way… at least, not that I know of. Anyway, what do you want?"_

"She's too young for me anyways, Rob." She chuckled again. "Look, I really need to talk to her. Please put her on."

"_Alright, alright, fine. Here Steph......... Uh, hello?" _Stephanie sounded slightly confused.

"Stephanie? It's Julia, Robbie's sister. You met me –"

"_Yeah, I remember. I was going to call you…" _

"Well, you're obviously a little busy, so I decided I'd call you. Though, I was surprised that you were at Robbie's, after he told me you…"

"_We are _not_ back together."_ Julia could easily imagine the girl giving her brother a look when she said this. _"I'm not even sure what I'm doing here quite frankly… Why do you want to talk to me?"_

"Well… I had a very interesting dream last night. Do you know what a night terror is?"

"_A night terror? Uh, no, I don't think so."_

"Well, you know how I get visions… yeah, a night terror is a vision that comes to me in a dream. The one I had last night…" She went on to give Stephanie the most detailed explanation of her dream she could come up with. Stephanie listened intently, not interrupting until Julia was finished.

"_Wait, me? Queen? Of a place that I've never even been too? I haven't even made my decision yet, though… and I would _never_ wear a dress like that. EVER."_

"Well, things change. There's no way for me to know how far into the future my vision was. And the future is always subjective. For all I know you'll change your mind somewhere along the line and that won't happen. But that's not what I'm really concerned about right now. I'm more worried about, uh, S-Sportacus… I mean no one just up and disappears without reason."

"_I know. I want to look for him, but I don't even know where to begin at this point. Besides, how do we know he really needs to be, uh, 'found'? I mean maybe he just went back to, uh…"_

"Iceland, princess. The simplest way to put it is 'Iceland'." Julia was amused by now.

"Don't_ call me 'princess.'" _Stephanie sounded annoyed now. "_My point is, how do we know he's actually in trouble. I mean, Sportacus? In trouble? The thought is just plain ridiculous."_ Julia chuckled.

"Well, you are one, so the nickname just seems to fit. Besides, I don't have to listen to you yet, now do I? And I happen to know that S-Sportacus," she stuttered slightly again, _no reason for that,_ and shook her head "is pretty darn good at getting himself in 'trouble.' I can very clearly remember one time when we got bored and flew his blimp all the way to Asia, and we were both out of it and he was dancing with these oh so sexy bell –… well, uh, never mind." She chuckled at the memory.

"_Yeah, maybe I _don't_ want to know. Look, if you think you can help me find him or something… Robbie, shut up. I didn't ask you."_

"Haha, so, how exactly did you wind up in bed with my brother, princess? Since, you know, you're so _obviously _not together…" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm now. She sounded a lot like Robbie…

"_I said _don't _call me that. And I don't know, ok? I got bored; that's my excuse." _She paused and a yawn escaped her lips. _"Wow, I'm tired… Robbie, what time is it?"_

"You got bored? Your starting to sound like your uncle. And your dad," The last part escaped her lips involuntarily, and she rushed to cover up her mistake… "It's 12:30. If you're anything like… well, I'm sure you have plenty reason to be tired. I'll let you get some sleep… Though I would like to see you and talk in person. I'm sure it's been a while since you've been anywhere with Robbie, but how about you have him take you to that one club..."

"_Alright. I guess… I'll see you tomorrow, then."_

"Mmhmm. Sweet dreams, princess." She hung up before Stephanie could say anything else about her new 'nickname'.

* * *

Robbie chuckled as Stephanie opened her mouth as if to say something else, then threw the phone aside when the line went dead. Just like his sister to simply hang up…

"Robbie, get off. Really, I have to go home before I fall asleep right here." She sounded like she was half asleep already.

"Hmmm, and what, pray tell, would be so wrong about falling asleep here… in bed… with me…" He started trailing kisses up her body. She moaned softly in pleasure, then gently, but firmly, pushed him off.

"Mom and Aunt Bessie will have a cow if they wake up and I'm not there. Besides, Aunt Bessie wants to paint the living room tomorrow morning, and I promised I'd help…" Robbie sighed, then out right laughed in amusement.

"You're starting to sound an awful lot like a certain someone again…"

"Shut up…" She stared at him for a moment, and then kissed him to spite herself. It didn't last long, though… "No, no, I _really _have to go." Robbie brought her in for a longer kiss.

"Stay. Please, Steph."

"I… I can't, Robbie, don't…" He kissed her again, seductively this time.

"I… I… fine. I-I'll stay. But… if somebody gets in trouble and… I'm still sleeping… I'm blaming… you…" He chuckled.

"Alright, fine. Make me the bad guy. You really think I care?" He smiled, and then stood up. Stephanie gave him a confused look.

"Bathroom. I'll be back." He reassured her. She nodded, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she looked oddly smug…

By the time he got back, she was gone, and there was a note on his pillow.

_Wow, I can't believe you fell for that…_

* * *

Stephanie was exhausted.

Of course, after her conversation with Julia her mind was racing and sleep just wouldn't come. It did eventually, of course, but it was nearly 3:00am by then. Considering the fact that she'd spent the last week trying to get herself to bed at a more descent time (She'd chosen 9:00pm as her limit, following Sportacus' example) and waking up at 8:00 every morning to start her day, (not to mention the fact that no normal person would be able to keep up with her schedule now)… well, morning came a little too quickly for her this time. Far too quickly, actually. She could barely get herself out of bed. And then there was her subconscious, which had gone to rambling in her ear nonstop the minute Stephanie had agreed to go meet Julia…

Which is why it was no wonder that she was extremely grumpy by the time she met Robbie that night. Actually, grumpy was an understatement…

"Oh, uh, hey there Steph. You're late…" Robbie backed away from Stephanie slightly when he saw the look in her eyes as she got off her motorcycle. It was quite obvious that she was _not _in a good mood.

"Hi." Was all she said in return. Robbie blinked.

"You ok, babe?"

"No, I am not ok. I'm exhausted. And I'm not your 'babe' so don't call me that."

"No need to be rude, it was just a question Pinkie." She stared at him for a moment.

"You're telling me not to be rude? Ha, that's funny. Come on, let's just go so I can get home and sleep." Robbie gave her a look, but decided it was best that he didn't answer. Instead, he hopped on his bike as she got on hers and started to lead the way…

* * *

Julia, on the other hand, was already at the club. She glanced at her watch, _it's 10:30 already, where are those two_, and sighed in impatience. Robbie had called earlier that day to tell her that they'd be there at 10:00. _He probably did something and made them late, knowing him. I just hope they get here soon. _She'd been there for almost an hour already, and she was starting to get… well, bored, quite frankly… she smiled as a young human woman started walking towards her, smiling flirtatiously, and then gave a man (young in appearance) who was most definitely not human, the once over when she noticed he was looking at her also. _Well, at least I know I'll have _something _to do if those two don't show up…_

* * *

Robbie and Stephanie walked in not more than 15 minutes later. Of course, it had been Robbie's ex, Jane, at the entrance again. They had never gone back to this particular place after that first night… Stephanie no longer cared if the chick flirted with Robbie (well, she pretended that she didn't at least), and she probably would have chuckled a bit at Robbie's discomfort if she had. She had no desire to intimidate or hurt Jane, (though Robbie wanted nothing more to see Stephanie really fight someone), and she had walked in preparing herself to explain this to Jane, but she didn't have to. She hadn't realized it before, but she was positively radiating with energy and power by now, making it very obvious that she was, in fact, of the royal bloodline. Jane noticed this right after Robbie and Stephanie walked in, and she made no move to stop them this time. On the contrary, she moved out of there way and very graciously took Stephanie's and Robbie's coat, hanging them up in a nearby closet-like coat room, and then told them she hoped they had a good time, making sure not to look Stephanie in the eye. Stephanie ignored these oddities as best she could, moving on into the club with Robbie, but the weirdness didn't stop there. They walked in, Stephanie behind Robbie at first, and just like last time all eyes turned to her, but this time it was different. They all moved out of her way as Stephanie started to walk in front of Robbie, staring intently at the young woman, almost respectfully, and Stephanie was more than just a little confused by now. She looked back at Robbie, who gave her a significant look, telling her to keep going. She saw Julia first, sitting at the bar, and turned to Robbie.

"She's over there with some human woman…" Wait, had Stephanie just said 'human woman'? That was weird… "Is she _flirting_ with her?"

"Uh, yeah, looks like it. Wouldn't be surprising, honestly. Come on, let's go." Robbie apparently thought nothing of his sister flirting with another woman, or the fact that Stephanie had not only _noticed_ that said woman was human, but had said it as though it actually mattered. _I'll have to say something about that later._

"Jeez, finally." Julia gave the two an annoyed look as they walked up to her and the woman she was with. "What took you so long?"

"Nothing… I lost track of time earlier." The woman looked Stephanie up and down, standing up as if to leave when she noticed everyone else's reaction to her, but Julia chuckled and (to Stephanie's shock) grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into her lap.

"Relax, Jenny, there's no reason to be afraid of her." Jenny looked at Stephanie again nervously, then looked back and Julia.

"I should, uh, go anyways. I'll see you later babe." She pecked Julia on the lips, shocking Stephanie once again, then got up and left.

"Who was that?" Stephanie spoke up. "I mean, she… and you…and then… Do I even want to know?"

"Stick around me long enough and it be quite so shocking to you, princess, trust me. You might even find the idea a tad appealing yourself…"

"Ok, moving on, Julia, moving on. Please don't…" Robbie came up next to Stephanie. "She doesn't want to hear it, trust me." Julia sighed, and then shrugged.

"Alright, fine. Why don't we go up on the balcony? It's quieter up there; we'll able to talk…" They did just that, sitting in one of the booths, and Stephanie, who was getting anxious to get answers to all of her questions, tried to cut to the chase.

"Questions… I have so many questions, and somehow I get the feeling that you're the only one who can give me the answers to them."

"You're probably right. The only person you know, at least… ask away, princess."

"Don't call me that." She said calmly, and then sighed. "I suppose the first question I really want to ask is why on earth everyone is looking at me like that." She glanced at some people sitting at a table who were eyeing her in an odd way. "I mean, it's getting just plain weird…" Julia stared at her intently for a moment, and then chuckled.

"You honestly don't know, do you?"

"Don't know what, exactly?"

"You've grown far more powerful since last you came here, princess. I mean, not that that's a bad thing, or even a good thing, it's just a fact. Most young, uh, elves only have that much power if they're of the royal bloodline. And since you look and awful lot like your grandmother once did… and your father… your uncle even…"

"Ok, I get it, it's not hard to tell I'm, uh, royal anymore. If you say the word 'princess' in reference to me one more time, though…"

"Oh, don't even bother to threaten me, _princess_, I doubt you're that powerful yet. Besides, I can tell you're hardly the type to use violence…"

"Alright, alright, point… Next question (and I want a straight forward answer on this one, because I have a feeling it's more relevant than you're letting on) how do you know my, uh, uncle, Sportacus?" She paused when Julia stiffened, but then kept going. "Robbie already told me the just of it, but I want to know the whole story. You know, things like how you two wound up in Asia with belly dancers…" Julia looked Stephanie in the eyes, _maybe she's not as innocent as I thought, _and then turned to Robbie.

"Rob, leave, now."

"What? But, why, I mean-" She cut him off.

"Just do it. I want to talk to her and _only _her for a while, ok? Go find someone else to waste your time with, why don't you." Robbie blinked, but got up hesitantly and walked away, knowing his sister plenty well enough not to question her.

"Alright, why exactly did you want him to leave?" The pink one looked curiously at the woman sitting across from her.

"Because, I haven't told him the real details of that particular 'story'. In fact, you'll be the only person I ever tell, the only person who will, hopefully, ever know. You see, the thing is, it wasn't quite as, uh, _simple_ as what Robbie probably told you. Most everyone thinks that I, being as powerful and _evil _as I supposedly am, tried to turn him into a villain. But, the truth is… well, the truth is, that's not the truth."

"Oh?" Stephanie blinked. "Then what exactly is the truth."

"The truth is, that's what I was _supposed_ to do…" Julia sighed, casting her eyes downward to stare at the table.

"But I could never bring myself to do anything of the sort. Because I loved him just as much as he loved me…"

_**And that is where this chapter ends. I hope you found this one at least somewhat amusing at some parts, as I did mean for it to be kind of funny… Review please!**_


	28. Acting Like Royalty

Chapter 28: Acting Like Royalty

"_I loved him just as much as he loved me."_

"Wait, what?" Stephanie looked amazed. She had not been expecting Julia to say that.

"Mmhmm. I loved him more than I loved life itself. Still do, honestly." Her expression went from slightly pained, to far off, as if she were remembering… "Which is perhaps why I have yet to get married…" She said the last statement in a musing sort of way. Stephanie stared at her hard for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, that's… interesting. I mean, I had so many talks with him. I told him everything about myself. I assumed he'd told me everything he could about… and then when Robbie told me about you I just thought he didn't think it was worth it to mention, but if you really loved each other…"

"I doubt he even really remembers me, Pinkie, I was just a blip in his goody-two-shoes life. I wouldn't blame him if he's forgotten all about me by now."

"Well, then, why would you care whether he's missing or not? And why would you want to help me find him?" Stephanie suddenly sounded suspicious.

"Because I like you. I know you want to find him more than you're letting on. And I told you, I still love him. Very much. If he's in trouble, then I'm only more than happy to help find him. I'm not like Robbie; I've been alive long enough to know holding grudges is incredibly pointless."

"Hm… Oh, speaking of, uh, 'points'," Stephanie pulled back her hair, pointing at her ear. "Is there any way to, like, hide these somehow?" Julia chuckled.

"No, I'm afraid not. You're stuck with those, for now at least."

"Greaat… Alright, so, the reason why I wanted to know more about you and Sporty is because Robbie also mentioned some kind of Vitamins…" Julia's expression changed instantly; her expression was serious.

"Oh, yeah. I wouldn't go there if I were you. Just trust me when I say never touch the stuff. It's not worth it… wait, why do you mention that?"

"Because I have a feeling that Sportacus took some of… whatever that stuff really is before he left. I don't know why; we fought when I saw him last, but I do recall him seeming very tired. Like he was being drained of his energy somehow."

"Oooh boy. No doubt about it now. He's definitely in trouble." Julia actually looked somewhat amused now.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Well… as I'm sure Robbie told you, 'vitamins' can be helpful if used 'properly', but… Well, as I'm sure you've noticed before, we (elves) have a very high tolerance for things like alcohol or drugs; basically anything a human would take to get high, or 'have a good time'. Well, of course, it's different for us. Like I said, we have a very high tolerance for such things. The only thing that can easily affect us is these 'vitamins'. Only if you take too much at a time, though. If you're careful, then they can actually be good for you. But, then, of course, some idiot in our world had to start making the stuff more accessible, if you catch my drift and…" She trailed off, leaving Stephanie to draw her own conclusions from that.

"Well, alright. But what does that have to do with…"

"I used to be crazy about the stuff. Got Sporty into it… and it was all downhill from there. I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't have any regrets when it comes to that. It was fun." Stephanie gave her a strange look, but decided to change the subject for now.

"Alright, so, what would happen if Sportacus decided to take some of this stuff? You know, like if he was getting desperate?"

"Well, I don't entirely know. He's not stupid, I can tell you that much. He'd of had to have been pretty damn desperate in order to even think about it. And, knowing him, he would have been extra careful. Not only that, but if he went back to Iceland, he more than likely made a beeline straight for the palace anyways. Wherever he is, and however he got there, I doubt it has anything to do with, well, you know." Stephanie sighed.

"Alright. You're right of course. I just wish I could know for certain…"

"Well, there are plenty of ways to contact your grandparents, now that I think of it. It wouldn't be too hard to get you home… course, you'd have to go alone. Me and Robbie wouldn't be particularly welcome in the, uh, palace if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. But I wouldn't mind that too much. I mean, Robbie's driving me crazy as of late, and I don't want to be anywhere near him if I can help it. And besides, I'm real anxious to meet them, my grandparents I mean. They're the only real connection I have to my dad, it seems."

"_Only_ real connection? What about your mother, princess?" Stephanie's voice suddenly sounded slightly bitter.

"She directly lied to me about all this for 22 years; I don't really want the answers from her anymore anyways. Besides, I tried to talk to her about it, get answers, but she refused to tell me. I mean, I know absolutely nothing about my dad, nothing. Besides the fact that he was a hero too…" Julia sighed and shook her head.

"I could tell you a thing or two about that, but I think it would be best if you asked the King himself. He'd know more than I do, obviously."

"Yeah, I figured… Alright, so how exactly do I contact them? My grandparents, I mean."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Robbie knows." Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

"Robbie doesn't give two sense, and you know it."

"Yeah, I know." Julia smirked. "But he's no match for you in strength. Power wise, I mean. A couple minor threats and he'll talk."

"I, uh, I'm not really the, uh, 'threat' making type."

"Oh, I know. Not generally, anyways. But if someone were to really make you angry…" She gestured towards Robbie, who was doing some hard-core flirting with a girl who was no older than Stephanie, and glancing in Stephanie's direction every now and then to see if she was watching.

"What… Oh, of course. He wants me to get jealous. Well, I hardly care. He wants to flirt with some human chick, that's… his… business." Stephanie slowed to a stop when she saw the young woman look towards her, smirk, then turn back to Robbie and plant a big wet one onto his (not-too-stunned) lips.

"Ok, that's just plain… I certainly hope she doesn't think she… ooooo, Robbie!" Stephanie was suddenly steaming, Robbie's little set up being been a blow to her girlish pride more than anything else. "That's it, we're leaving. I'll try to keep in touch, Julia." With that she got up, pulled Robbie viciously out of his chair, leaving the girl looked rather stunned, and somehow managed to make it all the way out of the club before exploding on him… "Robbie!!!"

* * *

"Robbie!!!" Stephanie screamed at her ex for what seemed like the billionth time since she'd gone down to his lair that day.

She was in a bad mood, again, since she hadn't gotten back until really late the night before and she once again couldn't sleep, seeing as her mind had been racing with everything Julia had told her. She was also in no mood to play games with her cocky and annoying ex.

"What?! Look, for the millionth time, why should I simply give you a way to get home? I mean, really, it makes no sense. I don't want him back, and I know darn well you don't either. All you're interested in is finding out more about your dad."

"No! That's not true! I want to find him, to know that he's alright. You need to stop putting words in my mouth and tell me how to get to my grandparents."

"Ok, assuming that I actually do tell you how to get to them, and you actually make it there… I want you to promise me something."

"Oh, no. No tricks Robbie. No playing games. I know how you do things when it comes to games like that, and I'm not-" Robbie cut her off abruptly.

"Pinkie, shut up. It's not a trick, not a game. I just want you to promise me," he paused and sighed, "I just want you to promise not to forget me. Please."

"Forget you? What do you…"

"Don't forget that you once said you loved me. Don't forget the past two months. I don't want to lose you entirely. They're going to tell you that I was no good for you anyways, that you're better off without me. And they're probably right. But, whatever they tell you, don't forget. Please." Stephanie stared into his eyes now, looking for… well, anything that would tell her he was lying. But she found no such thing. Robbie was dead serious.

"A-alright. I promise. And, uh, you know me. I keep the promises I make." She winced when she said that, suddenly remembering the promise she had made to Sportacus not more than two months earlier… Robbie sighed.

"Ok. Thank you. I know you're good for that sort of thing. Now," he walked over to a machine that looked somewhat like a high-tech computer, "we best see about getting you home I guess." He turned it on with the flip of a switch, then started pressing buttons. "It's a communicator of sorts. No different than a telephone, really, I mean it works the same way. The only difference is that it actually shows you who you're talking to; on the screen there, you'll see." He typed in a few more commands and then quickly stepped out of the way, pushing Stephanie in front of it. She gave him an odd look, and he explained hastily. "I patched you straight through to the palace. Not exactly the most, uh, _legal_ way I could have done it, but definitely the easiest. They'll want an explanation, but I figured it'd be better if it came from you." Stephanie nodded, then turned back to the monitor just in time to see what she assumed was a sort of royal guard appear on the screen. He began to speak, but she couldn't make out a word of what he was saying. He looked confused also for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled slightly.

"_What do you think you're doing? This is a restricted channel; you can't get in without the proper codes."_ He had a thick accent, even thicker than Sportacus' it seemed to Stephanie.

"Well, I, uh, kind of had some help with it." She glanced nervously at Robbie.

"Relax. You're royalty, whether he knows it or not and you like it or not. It wouldn't hurt to act a tad arrogant…" he mumbled to her, too low for the man on the screen to hear. Stephanie sighed, then cleared her throat. _This should be fun._ She looked back at the screen. The man looked very impatient.

"_I won't wait for long. How did you manage to get into this system?" _He demanded an explanation.Stephanie pretended to look indignant.

"How I got in is hardly relevant. It's also none of your business. I want to speak with," she paused for half a second as Robbie whispered in her ear 'Jason. You want to talk to Jason.', then kept talking, "Jason." The man on the other side stared at her blankly, then burst out laughing.

"_Oh, I see. Look, if you really want to talk to him you're going to have to give something, anything, that would suggest you're even authorized to be using this channel, much less talking to the head of the Kings royal guard."_ Stephanie glanced at Robbie.

"The royal guard?!" She hissed, and Robbie gave her a serious look.

"You're more likely to get to him than straight to the king or queen. Besides, he's the only other person that would recognize you." She gave him a dirty look, then turned back to the screen.

"Well, I don't have the, authorization I suppose, but it is very important that I speak with him." She was choosing her words carefully, trying to sound like she knew who she was and what she was doing.

"_Look, princess… what's your name anyways?" _She glanced at Robbie yet again. He smirked and egged her on, saying something along the lines of 'oh, they'll have to let you talk to him now. They'll recognize your name, I guarantee it. Just make it look good.' She shrugged slightly, then stood tall, puffing out her chest ever so slightly and trying to look indignant again.

"I am Stephanie Anne Meanswell, your princess and, now, rightful heir to the throne." He seemed taken aback at this, and she allowed herself a satisfied smirk. "Now, I highly suggest you let me talk to Jason. If not, well, I can be _very _dangerous when I wish to be, so I wouldn't push your luck if I were you."

"_I-I, uh, I-I mean…"_ He stammered slightly, unsure of what to do exactly. How could he be sure she was telling the truth? While there was no mistaking that name and her over confident manner, there was no way to be absolutely sure. But, then, of course there was the hair… _"Alright, fine, I'll talk to him."_ He pressed some buttons (next to the screen, it appeared) and spoke to someone in a hushed voice, then looked back at her. _"You're lucky he even has time to speak with you. You'd better be telling the truth, though I highly doubt you are."_ A few more seconds; he pressed a few more buttons; then the screen blinked and there was a different man on the other end, one dressed in a red and white outfit similar to the one Sportacus wore, except it looked much more… fancy than Sportacus'. He seemed a little irritated.

"_What could possibly be so important that –" _He stopped short when he got a good look at Stephanie, who was standing there and still trying to look bold and confident. _"Oh my…" _He turned to address a guard of some sort. She heard him mumble something about the king, but they were speaking in that odd language again… he turned back to her and did a slight bow. _"Forgive me, milady. I hardly expected that Henry was telling the truth when… but that matters not now, I suppose. It is you, that much is obvious. I'd know those eyes and that hair anywhere. Just like the queen."_ Stephanie blinked, losing some of her confidence as she realized she actually recognized this man. The memories were so very unclear, but she knew, she _knew_ she'd seen him before. And, come to think of it, she also knew she'd heard that language before…

"_Princess?" _Jason startled her slightly when he spoke again. She jumped, almost unnoticeably, then composed herself and resumed her slightly arrogant stance.

"I, uh, yes of course. I would hardly lie about such a thing." He smiled slightly.

"_I don't suppose you remember me at all… No, of course you don't. That was well over 15 years ago."_

"I'm afraid I have very few memories from that time…" She glanced at Robbie, who gave her an odd look. She hadn't told him anything about that…

"_Ah, well, perhaps if we can get you here with us some of them will return to you. Uh, where are you, exactly? If you don't mind my asking; it would make some things easier. And we still need to know how you got into the system._" Stephanie glanced at Robbie. She wasn't about to just rat him out…

"I have a, uh, well, I had some help. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?" Stephanie couldn't help thinking that she didn't sound like herself. She sounded too… sophisticated. _Where am I getting this from?_

"_Ah, I see. Had some, er, _shadier_ help, did we? No matter, I suppose. We can talk more about it later if need be…"_

"Thank you. As for my location…"

"_One would assume that you were in Italy, as that's where you were the last time we heard from our dear Sportacus, but we haven't heard from him since, and I don't know of too many people over there who would have been willing to help you…"_

"Where I am currently is no concern of yours. I am, however, living in Lazytown."

"_Ah, of course, Lazytown. Alright then, very good. I shall send an escort there immediately to get you… That is why you wanted to talk to me, is it not, milady?" _Stephanie was slightly taken aback. _What is it with these people? Escort? Milady? I mean, did he just say the word 'shall'? _It was such a formal way of speaking, it sounded foreign to her. But then, she was talking in the same fashion without really trying…

"Uh, yes, of course. I mean, I would very much like to meet you and my grandparents in person." He chuckled.

"_Your grandparents, of course! They'll be overjoyed to hear of your return, and even happier to know that you want to see them."_ Stephanie smiled.

"Oh, yes. I want to see them very much…. I should hope that the escort will arrive promptly. I'll see you upon my arrival." He nodded slightly with a warm smile.

"I look forward to it, my princess." And with that the screen went blank…

_**Ok, so, I know that the names I'm giving the guards aren't very interesting, but they just seem to fit and I can't seem to come up with anything more interesting. I'm trying to come up with better names for the king and queen, and some better details of what the palace should look like… review please. (I'll take any suggestions, if you have them.)**_


	29. The Princesses Escort

Chapter 29: The Princesses Escort

_"I look forward to it, my princess." And with that the screen went blank._

Stephanie continued to stare at it as if in a trance. Had that _really _just happened? Was there really a 'royal escort' on its way to get her right now? No, it couldn't be real, because that meant that she was _actually _a princess. No, that would mean that she was _actually_ and elfin super hero about to go 'home' to a place where she'd never even been to. _Wow, I never realized just _how _crazy all of this really sounded until now._ Robbie stared at the screen also, bewildered at just how perfect that had gone, but came out of it faster than Stephanie and began clapping his hands, startling her in the process.

"Brava, babe, that was some class-A acting. One would think you were actually used to the whole 'I'm a princess thing'." Stephanie blinked, then gave him a dirty look, and he chuckled. "Well, sorry, I'm just saying."

"Yeah, yeah. I… I'm going to go call Julia."

"Julia? Why?"

"Well, she probably already knows about this by now… but I told her I'd call her, keep in touc-" Robbie's phone rang before Stephanie could even finish her sentence. Robbie rolled his eyes.

"Wonder who _that_ could be." His voice was entirely too sarcastic as he reached for the phone. "Hi Julia."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Didn't even have to check the phone to know. Stephanie was just about to go home and call you , so I figured…"

"Ah, I see. Well, then, put her on." He rolled his eyes, handed the phone to Stephanie, then walked out of the room mumbling something about not even getting a thank you. Stephanie rolled her own eyes before putting the phone to her ear.

"Uh, hi there."

"_Hi, princess."_

"Is there any way I can get you to stop calling me that?"

"_Nope… well, maybe when you become queen. Which maybe be sooner than I thought, actually."_

"Let me guess: you saw the whole conversation." Stephanie smiled slightly.

"_Well, not the whole conversation, but enough of it. I know there's a 'royal escort' on its way to Lazytown." _

"Yeah, there is." Stephanie paused to look behind her; she didn't want Robbie to hear what she was about to say next. "Can I be honest with you? I don't really want anyone else to know this…"

"_Sure princess, I won't say a thing."_

"I'm terrified right now. I mean, I don't even know exactly where I'm going, or who exactly I'll see there, or if I'll be what my grandparents and everyone there expected, or if they'll be what I'm expecting and –" She continued to ramble on for a minute before Julia stopped her.

"_Stephanie shut up! And relax. Everything will be fine, and you're going to love Iceland… well, the parts that we come from, that is. No, I know it won't be what you're expecting, because things there haven't changed much since medieval times, and I'm not even sure exactly how long ago that was. But you'll still love it."_ Stephanie was suddenly dumbfounded.

"Medieval times? Seriously? Jeez…"

"_Yeah, I know. It's a long time ago. Just wait until you see the palace. I mean, granted last time I was there I was being thrown very roughly into the dungeon by these two rather large and heavily armored knights. All that chainmail on one person, so pointless, I swear… even what little bit I saw was extraordinary, though, and I know things haven't changed too much since then, except for minor repairs here and there. And you'll be going straight to the throne room, too, no doubt…"_

"A knight? Jeez, how old are you?"

"_Not as old as you're thinking. We live long, but not quite _that_ long. I was actually born in about 1800, some thirty years after the American's won their independence here…. At least, I believe so, I was in Iceland at that time, of course, and time kind of stopped there when the crusades led by King Richard himself were going on in the rest of the world. Well, sort of anyways. Things aren't done quite so… primitively anymore, not when it comes to everyday life, and they dress differently, but the same basic traditions still stand, especially at the palace. You'll see what I mean when you get there. It's very odd, to be honest, considering the crusades took place in like 12 hundred and something…"_

"Well, alright then… this should be interesting. How old do you… I mean, we generally live, anyways."

"_250-300 years unless we get killed first or stop using our powers (the latter being far more likely than the first, mind you, we're nearly impossible to kill)."_

"Oh, wow…"

"_Yeah. Most of us tend to get bored with life at about 200, though, horrible as that sounds; if that happens one would simply stop using his powers and live like a human. He would start to age naturally and die of a 'natural' cause eventually."_

"Hmmm, interesting… Look, I… I guess I never really said thank you for this, but I'm saying it now: thanks for helping me. You didn't have to, I mean, I know you probably have no real love for the king and queen…"

_"No, I don't. But I do like you, and I'll bet you'll make a better queen too… You're feistier, bolder, and you'll maybe really get something done over there…"_

"What do you mean by that?" Stephanie was getting more and more curious.

"_Well, you'll see when you get there and get settled in. I don't want to tell you all of this now. Then you'll _really _be nervous and you won't want to go at all."_

"I… alright, alright. I suppose all of my questions will be answered soon enough anyways. Look, I'm going to go home and pack. I'll talk to you soon, hopefully."

"_Alright, princess. Goodbye and good luck... oh, and I'd back for warm weather if I was you."_

"Uh, thanks. Bye." Stephanie hung up the phone and tossed it onto Robbie's fluffy orange chair, then walked in the direction he had gone earlier. "Robbie? Where'd you go?"

"In the kitchen." She smiled slightly when she walked in and smelled chocolate.

"Baking a cake?"

"Yep. Wanted something sweet. Should be ready in about half an hour if you want to stick around for a while."

"Nah, I'm going to go home and start packing. I mean, I have to have something to wear while I'm over there…"

"Fair warning: they're going to try their hardest to get you to where a 'proper' dress. Don't let them make you. Just because you're a princess-maybe-soon-to-be-queen doesn't mean you absolutely _have _to go prancing around in some frilly dress." Stephanie laughed.

"Well, ok then Robbie. I'll keep that in mind…" She took in a deep breath; the cake smelled delicious.

"Maybe I could stay for a while…"

"_NO! Leave as soon as you can. You don't need to be spending anymore time around Robbie than is absolutely necessary." _The Voice appeared beside her for the first time in quite a while. _"Besides, I told you to avoid anything sugary."_ Stephanie didn't respond, but rolled her eyes.

"Or, not, I suppose…" She mumbled to herself before turning back to Robbie. "On second thought, I really should just leave. Talk to you later, I'm sure." She turned to leave, but Robbie pulled her back.

"Don't forget that promise you made. Please…" Stephanie stared at him blankly for a moment, then sighed.

"Relax. I promised. You'll just have to trust me." He nodded and let her go reluctantly, looking rather forlorn, and Stephanie didn't know what to do. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then decided not to, turning around and leaving instead. _It's only Robbie, so no crying big girl. He'll be fine, and so will you._

"If only I could convince myself that was actually true…"

* * *

"She's going to break that promise. I just know it…" Robbie was talking to himself, as usual, trying to sort out some of his thoughts. "I mean, why wouldn't she anyways? She's going to be _queen _for crying out loud, she doesn't need me anymore… And I definitely don't need her anyways…" He sat down at a chair, staring at the wall. He was lying to himself, of course. He needed her much more than he would ever admit to anyone. Honestly; he was 130 years old, in all reality, and he'd spent the last century being, essentially, single. If he'd just chosen to stay in Iceland, he'd have been married already. Either that or put to work in some way or another… but, no, he couldn't think like that. He liked things being the way they were; nothing needed to change. And Stephanie would find herself someone who deserved her more; a match much more befitting a queen. "Yeah, which means I should stop sulking like a little girl and move on. Stephanie will be just fine and so will I…"

"Hm. If only I could really get myself to believe such a lie…"

* * *

Stephanie had no idea of just how long it would take the 'royal escort' – _her_ royal escort, good Lord, she still couldn't get used to that thought – to get to Lazytown, so she spent the rest of that day packing (and explaining what little she could get into words to her mom, aunt, and uncle, of course). It wasn't needed in the long run though; a rather uneventful week passed before it arrived. (It was a boring week, but it did give her time to explain more to her friends what was going on.)

"Wow!" Stephanie couldn't think of anything else to say as a huge (HUGE) airship came into view, gliding gracefully above Lazytown and heading for the town hall it seemed. "Just… wow. I mean, all of that for _me_." It was a beautiful ship, though it was nothing like Sportacus' blimp. This was an actual ship, made of wood, looking more like it should be sailing on the water than floating in the sky. Quite frankly, it reminded Stephanie of the ideal pirate ship.

"Well, you are a princess dear." Her mother wheeled up in her wheel chair, resting beside Stephanie as she looked out the window also. "They give only the best for royalty. That's one of the more traditional ships too, with a captain and a crew running it."

"A crew? Cool…"

"Yes. From what little I can remember, older ships like that had very little technology besides what it took to get them up in the air. They're run just like an old fashioned wooden sailing ship would have been run; with a knowledgeable crew and a captain to watch over things." Stephanie sighed.

"Well, then, this should be fun." She turned to gathered her bags – quite a few bags, of course, five or six altogether, but she managed to carry them all with some minor use of her powers – walked out without a goodbye, and made her way down towards the town hall, leaving her mother behind at the window, looks very sad and very hurt…

It didn't take long to get there, and once she did she was slightly amazed by the sight that greeted her.

A man dressed like an old fashioned pirate, with a tunic, breaches, cuffed and buckled boots, and a rather large hat was standing in front of her uncle. He had on all sorts of effects – a nice sword and some kind of pistols, it seemed, plus an interesting assortment of jewelry – and he was talking vividly to her uncle. All she could make out was her name…

"I, uh, I think you're looking for me." The man turned.

"Stephanie? Stephanie Anne Meanswell?" He seemed taken aback. After all, she didn't exactly _look _like a princess; not wearing a modest mini skirt, black sandal-heals, and a simple black sequined tank top. She smiled slightly, gesturing toward her hair, which had turned an interesting shade of dark pink, then pulling it back to reveal her ears.

"Yes sir, it's me. I mean, I know I don't look like it, but I did speak with Jason…" At the mention of the name Jason and the sight of her ears the man walked up gracefully, doffing his hat to her with a sweeping bow and then taking her hand in his, kissing it gently.

"Of course, milady, I was well informed about you directly by him. I am Captain Jack, the owner of this fine vessel…" He gestured expansively towards the enormous ship hovering just about the ground. "And, of course, the captain given the grand honor of escorting such a beautiful princess as you to the castle in which she belongs." Stephanie blushed heavily.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Captain, but I'm hardly deserving of such compliments. This all seems a bit much…" He shook his head slightly.

"Nonsense, milady, only the best for our future queen. And, believe me, this is indeed the best they had to offer." He smiled roguishly, reminding Stephanie a little of Robbie…

"Oh, I believe you, Captain, it's a beautiful ship… Though, I've no idea how I'm to get all of this up there." She gestured toward her bags.

"Ah, I see. No need to worry about that…" He called for a member of his crew, a pretty young woman (Stephanie could tell the difference now. This girl was even younger than her.). "Take these onto the ship and, put them in the princesses cabin, and DO NOT let anyone else touch them." The girl nodded and mumbled a 'yes captain' before turning away. Jack turned back to Stephanie to give an explanation. "It's been a while since we've had the pleasurable company of a woman aboard my ship, so there's no telling how my men will react. Though, I do get the impression that you can take care of yourself in that department."

"Hm, believe me when I say I most certainly can..." He chuckled.

"This should be a most interesting trip then. Shall we milady?"

"My name is Stephanie," she gave him a significant look, "and yes, I suppose so."

"Ah. Well, then, after you, uh, Stephanie." She smiled and walked up to the ship, waving to her uncle and blowing her aunt a kiss before climbing up the ladder.

~-~-~-~-~-~

She climbed onto the deck gracefully, standing tall when she saw that all the men on the deck were now staring at her. She scowled at them all, as if to say 'don't even think about it'. Of course she knew they were more than likely thinking about 'it' anyways, but none of them made any moves, so oh well. She rolled her eyes at them all, then began to look around. The ship was even more beautiful once you were on it; Captain Jack kept a tight ship, that much was for certain. It was about as clean as it could possibly be, and that only added to its beauty. It had sails, just like any old sailing ship would have, and it had what appeared to be old fashioned cannons and guns, but Stephanie had long since realized that they were probably far more dangerous than any of their 'normal' counterparts. The men on the ship had swords and pistols also; the swords seemed to be for decoration, or perhaps even good sport, more than anything else. It was the pistols that truly caught her attention. They looked just like any old gun would look like, but again, she had the feeling that they were far more accurate and dangerous. _Hmmm, perhaps we'll just have to ask our dear captain about that…_

"You like what you see mi – Stephanie?" Stephanie turned to the captain, who was now standing beside her.

"Yes, very much so, captain. This is… amazing." He chuckled.

"Well, I try to keep her in good condition. This is certainly not the first time we've had the honor of carrying a royal aboard." He smiled roguishly again. "Although, we haven't had such beautiful or precious cargo as you since the queen herself decided to take a trip nearly ten years ago." Stephanie blushed again.

"Again, I'm hardly worthy of such a compliment, but thank you very much…" She looked around at the crew again. "Perhaps now would be a good time to show me my, uh, cabin."

"Yes, of course. This way…" He led her toward the front of the ship, ducking through a door leading below decks. "Your cabin is right next to mine… Though, you probably don't trust me anymore than you would trust my men. As well you shouldn't," he smirked at her playfully, " but if that's a problem and you'd like a pistol or something to keep with you at night I'd be happy to…"

"Oh, no, it's fine." Stephanie smirked cockily back at him. "I mean, even if I didn't trust you, I'd hardly need a weapon to defend myself from that sort of attack." He looked surprised for a moment at the obvious implication of her powers being used, but composed himself and answered smoothly.

"Ah, I see. Well, then, I can already tell that you are much unlike any princess I've met before."

"Yeah, well, you're nothing like any 'royal escort' captain I've met or seen, so…" He chuckled, then stared at her for a moment, his expression slowly turning more serious.

"May I ask you a question, milady."

"It's Stephanie, and sure."

"Yes, sorry, Stephanie… Why do you trust me so easily? You've not known me for more than twenty minutes…"

"I know. I just figure if my grandparents sent you, then you must be alright. It's more your, uh, crew and there wandering eyes that I'm worried about." His smirk was back again.

"Oh, don't worry about them. Their eyes may wander a bit, but they're not brave enough or foolish enough to try anything."

"Hm, I hope so…" The captain gave her another sweeping bow.

"Well, I suppose I shall leave you for now; let you get settled in to your home for the next week."

"Alright… Oh, captain?" She called him back just before the door closed.

"I, uh, I guess I just wanted to ask… is everything there as beautiful as what I've heard? I mean, if this ship is any indication…"

"Oh, yes my princess. I'm sure it'll be everything your expecting and then some. You'll fit right in, as well. After all, it is your true home."

"I hope so…" He smiled again, reassuringly this time.

"It will… ahem, I'll, uh, I'll have them send in some food later if you'd like. In the mean time, feel free to do a little exploring if you wish, though I would ask, with all due respect, that you try not to get in the way." Stephanie nodded and watched him leave before sinking onto the bed in the cabin, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Well then… I think that was nice little adventure on its own…"

_**And I will leave it there for now because this chapter is long enough, but I'm going to start on the next one right away, so it'll be up in the next couple days hopefully. Again, reviews would be nice. **_


	30. Two Plus Two Equals Seven

Chapter 30: 2+2=…7?

_**(Wahoo, 30**__**th**__** chapter! Didn't think I'd get this far.)**_

Rebecca was, for the first time in quite a while, worried sick. Ever since Sportacus had barged into the house that night a few months ago, saying he was leaving… he didn't even tell her where he was going. He did give her a kiss, one that she would never forget at that (he said he'd been wanting to do that for a while), and told her he loved her (said he'd only just realized that one), but he didn't give her time for a real response or any questions. She only really had enough time to say goodbye, and add in that she loved him too…

Now she was sitting in her kitchen, her kids in the next room, watching a movie and being fairly quiet oddly enough, and she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him. _I can't believe I actually told him I love him. I mean, I haven't said those words to anyone but the kids since…_ She ignored the hurt at the memory of her husband. _I can't believe he told that to me, for that matter. I mean, it's just so strange. How's he going to just walk right in here and kiss me like that when he doesn't even know if he'll be back? Unless… unless that's why he did it. He thought it was then or never. But that doesn't help me out much here. Why do men have to be so damn complicated... and what about this Stephanie of his? Where did he say she lives? Lazytown? That's not all that far from here. Mom lives just outside of that town, maybe she knows… but, no, she doesn't know about him, and I really don't want her to just yet. Maybe… if I bring the kids by for a visit… I need to do some shopping, too… And Melinda, my sweet little babysitter, seemed awful worn out when she came the other day… So I'd need someone to watch them if I wanted a few hours to myself, which I haven't gotten in a while anyways. So if I ask her to watch them for an hour or 2 and I just happen to go into Lazytown afterwards to pay someone a harmless visit… _She sighed. _I'd hate to lie to mom, but I guess sometimes what she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, she doesn't handle that sort of thing to well anyways…_

She got up and headed out of the kitchen to find a phone, and then make a nice little 'suggestion' to her kids…

* * *

He was starting to lose it.

At least, he was beginning to feel like he was.

It was quiet, always quiet, never any birds chirping or any wind rustling the trees, at least not that he could hear. No, there was just constant silence. Except, of course, for when _they _came, but that wasn't very often it seemed. Once a day maybe? Every few days? He wasn't sure. Felt like only once a week, but then he'd be dead without any water or food, so… How long had he been here anyways? Well, he didn't know that either. It felt like it had been months.

He still wasn't sure who _they _were. Obviously people who hated his parents, but they were different than the rest. There were no torture sessions (he'd have been better off if there were. He held up well to torture.) Whoever came in to talk to him or give him food or water wore a mask and didn't say too much. He had a feeling they were biding their time, waiting for something, something important to happen, but he had absolutely no idea what that could be… They weren't altogether too horrible to him either. Not cruel, anyways, they didn't physically hurt him. He was ok in a physical sense, at least to an extent. It was his mental state that was the problem. He was getting paranoid. Being left in there for so long with absolutely nothing happening… He was still waiting for someone to come in with an axe and chop his head off, horrible as that sounded. It just… didn't make any sense. Unless they were trying to break him somehow, but they hadn't really threatened him or anything like that either… Well, except for when the man first came in…

_~flashback~_

_He was startled awake as the door to the room opened and, for the first time since He was abducted, a man stepped in. He recognized the man's appearance almost immediately; he was wearing an outfit similar to something royalty would wear in the 'dark lands' (He'd never been anywhere near there himself, but his parents used to talk about the people there all the time. That's where the villains lived.) His automatic reaction was to be afraid. The man was radiating power, and was obviously well aware of it too, and since He was not really in any position to fight someone…_

"_Ah, Sportacus. It seems my men got it right this time." Sportacus looked at the man, bewildered._

"_Your men? What do you mean?"_

"_Hm, just that those blundering idiots took several others from your pretty little palace before they finally managed to get you, uh, 'drunk' and bring you here." The man shook his head. "Actually raised a bit of suspicion in the process. Not a whole lot though, thankfully. They were all scared into silence and sent back, so it hardly matters. Especially since we have you now."_

"…" _Sportacus was speechless. He still couldn't remember much of this, and he didn't like where this was going._

"_Hm, cat got your tongue? Good. I'd prefer you just listen anyways. Cooperation is always highly appreciated." He took on an ominous tone. "I doubt you want any trouble, anyways… Now, I'm sure you're wondering just who I am and why you're here. Actually, I know that's what you're wondering, because everyone does. Unfortunately for you, I can't answer the first question, on the off chance that you _do _escape. Not that I expect you will, but I've learned to be prepared for anything." Sportacus continued to look dumbfounded, but he was actually over his initial reaction. He was, however, a tad annoyed. _Oh, great. The guy likes to hear himself talk…_ "…so I wouldn't try anything if I were you. As for why you're here… well, that can be answered quite simply: I don't know. I was ordered to bring you here, and told that I was not to harm you in any way until my, uh, _Master_ is ready for you. Now of course, I have no idea how long…" He went on like that for several minutes, and Sportacus tuned out a lot of what he said, taking the time to drink in his surroundings and to guesstimate just how hard it would be to take down the 6 men standing behind him and if he could do it. _Those weapons do look pretty deadly, but I'd bet I could still take at least that small one in no time flat. If I could just get his weapon before the others had time to react, I'd be alright… but then, they'll be expecting that, so I'd better not. I mean, I'm sure this isn't the first chance I'll get... _He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as the man stopped talking briefly and looked at him._

"_Have you even been listening?" Sportacus put on a sheepish look._

"_Yes, I was listening. Your master gave you permission to, uh, 'put me in my place' if I get to be too much."_

"_Hm. Yes, that's the gist of it I suppose. Not that it matters. You won't be any trouble, right?"_

"_No, of course not." Sportacus' tone was a little sarcastic, but the man either didn't notice or chose to ignore it._

"_I should certainly hope not. I never did have the stomach for torture, but I'm willing when it's necessary. Keep that in mind." He turned to one of the guards. "Bring him some food and water, but don't stick around too long. I don't want him getting to familiar with any of your appearances." And with that, he left along with the guards. The one came back about half an hour (of course, he wasn't certain of that, he was just guessing) later with water and some kind of fruit. He set it down in front of Sportacus and left without a word…_

_~end flashback~_

That was the first and last time Sportacus saw the man, and that had to have been at least three weeks ago. In a way, he was beginning to feel like this was crueler than torture. Just leaving him there, alone, with nothing to do and no one to talk to… Not to mention the fact that they didn't bring him much to eat or drink, and he was beginning to get weaker. He probably couldn't fight any of those guards off as easily anymore. Perhaps that's why they had left him here like this for so long… _Wait, what was that?_ Sportacus jumped slightly as he heard someone approaching the door. _No, it can't be. They already came in to give me food… _Before he had time to really think on that, the man who had talked to him during that first encounter came strolling in…

* * *

Rebecca walked out the door of her mother's small house hastily, getting back in her car and heading towards Lazytown. _Sportacus said that Stephanie was the mayors… niece, that's right, niece. Well, it's only five o' clock, he'd probably be in the town hall… which would be near the center of town, which is probably about a fifteen minute drive from here, since Lazytown is awful small. If I can get there in time to talk to him… maybe he can tell me where this Stephanie girl is. _She drove along as fast as she could go (and still be somewhat legal, of course) and managed to get there in only ten minutes. She passed through a neighborhood of quaint, but pretty, little houses, a huge park full of big, beautiful trees and several other buildings, like an ice cream parlor and a small clothing boutique, before coming to a stop right in front of…

_Oh, thank goodness, it looks like he's still there._ She got out of her car and walked quickly up to the building, walking inside and straight to what appeared to be his secretary's desk. _Jeez, this building's pretty small for a town hall. But then again, this town altogether is pretty small._

"Um, excuse me…" The secretary, a plump older woman who seemed a bit scatter brained, looked up and gave her a warm smile.

"Oh, hello there. What can I do for you?"

"Uh, hi. I… well, probably nothing right now, but I guess this is worth a shot: I need to speak to the, uh, the mayor." The woman behind the desk seemed suddenly curious.

"Did you call here first? Make an appointment, anything like that?"

"Uh, no, no I didn't, but… well, let me try this: does the name Stephanie Meanswell mean anything to you?" The woman looked even more curious… and perhaps a tad suspicious.

"Yes, that's my ne- I mean, the mayor's niece. Do you know her?"

"No, but that's why I'm here. I do, however, know someone who _does _know her; his name's Sportacus?" It sounded more like a question than a statement. Now the woman looked more suspicious than anything else as she pressed a button on a sort of speaker on her desk.

"Milford, there's someone here to see you. I think it's important." She looked back at Rebecca, making her feel uncomfortable. _Oh boy…_ suddenly the mayor himself, apparently alarmed at the fact that his secretary had used his first name and sounded worried, came walking out of the wooden double doors leading to his office.

"What on…" He looked from the woman behind the desk, to Rebecca. "Um, who are you? Forgive me for being blunt my dear, but you seem to have my, uh, my secretary here a bit frazzled."

"I, uh, I know. I'm sorry, I really shouldn't even be here, none of this is really my business, it's ju-"

"She mentioned Stephanie… and Sportacus." The woman blurted out before Rebecca could get out a full sentence. The mayor turned to her.

"Do you know either of them?"

"Well, uh, not your niece, no, but I do know Sportacus. You see, he disappeared a while ago and he didn't leave me with any clues as to where he went and he talked about Stephanie a lot and I just figured that maybe she'd know where he is…" Rebecca felt close to tears suddenly. She hadn't realized just how upset she was over him until just then. The woman behind the desk seemed to sense this; her harsh gaze and demeanor turned suddenly friendly and almost maternal.

"Oh, come now dear. No need for tears." She came out from behind the desk. "What's your name." Rebecca took a deep breath, trying to stay strong.

"Rebecca Engel. Sportacus was…" She sighed. She wasn't really all that sure of _what _he was to her. All she had to go on when it came to that was that she loved him… _Lover! That's what I'll tell them. Maybe they'll be a bit more willing to help me then…_ Again, she didn't like lying, but what else could she do? "He was my lover. I don't know how else to put it." The mayor and the secretary suddenly looked dumbfounded.

"_Lover_. Sportacus and you… were _lovers_. How – when – did you two even meet?"

"Well, it was a few months ago. I found him laying half conscious on a street corner in the town that I live in – uh, Loonytown – and took him into my house for that night and… well, my kids really took to him well, and he liked being around and… well, I'm sure I needn't explain further." She pretended to be sheepish. The mayor blushed slightly.

"Ah, yes, of course, that's none of our business… didn't he tell you where he was going, then?"

"No. He just came walking right into my house a few months ago, told me he was leaving, gave me a hasty goodbye kiss and then left with an I love you." _At least that parts totally true. _"I haven't seen or heard from him sense. I thought maybe his beloved Stephanie would know where he was. He said he was her uncle too…"

"Oh, dear. Well, you'll be surprised to know that we never heard anything about that. Unfortunately, Stephanie isn't here either…"

* * *

"Why you…" The man did not, apparently, appreciate Sportacus' sarcastic remarks. He was already unhappy, and Sportacus wasn't making things any better. "Guards! Get him into the carriage! I've had enough of him already." Sportacus just glared at the man while two of his guards, both of them much taller and bigger and most likely stronger than anyone else in the room, took him by the arms and began to roughly drag him out of the building they were in. He had to squint once they got outside; hardly any sunlight made it into the room he'd been in, and now it was hurting his eyes. He blinked a couple of times and was able to see a horse-and-carriage ensemble waiting on a road not far away. The men half dragged him to it, not bothering to see if he would go willingly (which he would have; even at his best he would have been just barely strong enough to ward of these two brutes), stopping at the entrance to it to bind his hands before throwing him in. They walked off, probably to sit on the front of the carriage, while there 'master' (that's what they appeared to regard him as), got in, sitting across from Sportacus. Sportacus looked the man up and down, being able to see him even better in the light, and was suddenly curious as to just who was and as to who his 'master' was.

"W-who are you? You never did give me a, uh, name."

"Yes, well, that was because I thought you might actually get out at some point. But I don't suppose it matters now; my name is Josiah."

"Ok… where are we headed? Who are you taking me to?"

"We are headed to the… well, you'd know them as the 'dark lands' I suppose. We're headed to the castle there. As for who I'm taking you to… well, you don't need to know his name. You are to address him as 'sir' or 'master'."

"Hm. Not likely, but alright." Josiah glared at him, but didn't respond. Sportacus had other questions, but had the feeling he should keep his mouth shut if he wanted to live long enough to get where they were going.

* * *

Rebecca stared at Marie Meanswell, dumbfounded.

"Let me, uh, get this straight. Your daughter is…"

"A princess, yes."

"And Sportacus, my Sportacus, is…"

"Well, her uncle, and, apparently," she glanced at Bessie and Milford, "should-be-crowned-prince."

"And Stephanie is in Iceland?"

"Yes, that's right. We think that might be where Sportacus is too."

"…I'm sorry. None of this is making much sense to me. It's like… trying to say two and two is seven; it doesn't add up…"

"I know, I know. It doesn't make much sense at first, but you'll sort it all out eventually."

"Do you think she'd know… I mean, is there any way to contact Stephanie?"

"Well, we don't exactly know. She left about four days ago, but there's no telling whether they arrived yet or not."

"Oh, ok…" Marie wheeled up to Rebecca, wiping away a single tear on the woman's face.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine." Rebecca gave her a smile that faded just a little too quickly.

"I don't know. I have a really bad feeling that he's in really big trouble…"

_**How exactly does she know this? Well, I guess we'll see in the next chapter… review, please. **___


	31. Fencing, Princess

Chapter 31: Fencing, Princess?

_I swear, if Sportacus weren't in trouble, I'd screw all of this and become a sailor girl._ _Or airwoman. Whichever sounds better... I just love these airships._

Stephanie was in her cabin on the ship (which, she had learned the night before, was called the _Crusader_), enjoying the soothing motions of the ship as it rocked on the calm waves of… well, whatever body of water they were sailing on. It was early morning (she didn't really have a clock to look at, but could tell because there was little noise coming from above decks) and she was allowing her mind to daydream a little as she lay comfortably in her bed. _I mean, I'd probably make a better sailor than a queen. This ship is absolutely amazing too… oh, the captain._ She jumped slightly as someone knocked on her door and she heard the captains slightly muffled voice.

"I'm sorry to wake you, milady, but I must speak with you. Are you decent?" Stephanie rolled her eyes slightly. Did he really have to talk like that?

"For the billionth time _captain_ it's Stephanie." _Honestly, I've been on this ship for four days already and still he refuses to call me by my name. _She'd spent quite a bit of time with Captain Jack, eating with him in his cabin and allowing him to teach her things about the ship. She stood and put on a robe. "And yes I'm, uh, decent."She got up to open the door, but stumbled over a chair. She landed on the floor with a soft thud, then waved her hand in annoyance, standing up as the door was hit with a hot pink ball of energy before opening on its own. The captain looked confused when he didn't see her at first, but then chuckled when he noticed her on the other side of the room.

"Oh, uh, are you alright milady"

"Yes, captain, I'm fine. Just a tad klutzy sometimes."

"Ah, I see. Odd… Again, I'm terribly sorry for waking you…"

"Uh, no problem. I mean, I don't really care. What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, we are no longer flying." His smiled at her. Stephanie looked amused.

"Yes, I noticed. It's nice, actually. I wasn't going to ask…"

"Though you're curious, I'm sure." He smiled slightly. "I don't blame you… see, we are close to Iceland, very close, but… well, we had similar difficulties getting here. That's why it took us nearly a week. The, uh, engine that powered the ship – made it so we could fly – was acting up on the way here, and now it's shut down completely. We'll be able to get it working just long enough to fly us to the castle when we get to land, but I'm afraid… Well, we are close enough that we may encounter other friendly ships that could fly you home faster, but if not it could be days before we get there, perhaps even weeks. It all depends…"

"Weeks? Oh, great. Well, I suppose that's not the end of the world, really, but… wait, what do you mean 'other friendly ships'?"

"Well… I'm sure you were told about how things here are a little old fashioned. Hence the fact that we are on a wooden ship instead of one of the newer ones. This is the best the king and queen had to offer as far as proper royal escorts go."

"Yeah, Ro… I mean, my friend back home told me, yes."

"Well… you see, just as there are 'royal' ships, there are also _other _ships. Pirate ships, really. And they'd do anything to get their hands on you, I guarantee it."

"Oh. That sounds… cool, actually." He gave her an odd look, so she decided to elaborate. "Well, I just mean it's very exciting. This is the most adventurous thing that's happened to me in… well, ever actually."

"I find that somewhat hard to believe, milady, you seem like the kind of woman who finds adventure whether she's looking for it or not…" He smiled slightly. Stephanie made a face, the glanced down, her attention drawn to his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"May I ask you something _captain_?"

"You know, I did say you could call me Jack when in private like this."

"Well, you keep calling me 'milady', soo…"

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry. Stephanie it is from now on, since it bothers you so, I swear it." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Alright then. May I ask you something Jack?"

"Yes, of course, anything."

"I can understand the use of pistols and cannons on a ship like this, but the swords seem a little out dated, even for you…" A somewhat cocky smirk graced his handsome face at this.

"Yes, indeed, you're right. We do not technically need the swords. They are for… good sport, I suppose, more than anything else. And for dueling."

"Dueling?"

"Well, for instance, if one of my men had his lover aboard as good company – not that I allow that sort of thing, mind you, but just as an example – and another member of my crew decided to, uh, 'make a move' on her, the other man could demand satisfaction and they would fight. Fight's like that are supposed to be to the death, but it usually turns out that whoever sheds first blood wins. Unless, of course, you're on a pirate ship…"

"Ah, I see." She looked down at his sword. "May I…?"

"Oh, yes, of course…" He unsheathed it gracefully, tossing it up in the air slightly and catching it skillfully by the blade, pointing the handle at her. She smiled and took it, examining the finely decorated weapon appreciatively.

"It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like this before…"

"Few humans have…"

"Ah, but I am not human, am I?"

"Well…"

She glared at him (she'd told him a little bit about just how she'd found out about all of this, and about her being half human) and then waved the sword around a bit, noticing how heavy it was. "Hmmm, do you think… I mean, could you possibly teach me how to, uh, fight with one of these?" She looked up at him sheepishly. The idea just seemed very appealing…

"Well, I don't know. I only have one that's smaller than that one, and it's not much lighter... It would take some work…" Stephanie suddenly looked indignant.

"Don't underestimate me just yet, _captain_." He sighed and shook his head. _Definitely not your average princess. So feisty…_

"Alright, _milady_, I'll teach you how to fence. But you must promise me you'll be careful. These can be dangerous, even to us obviously…"

"Sure, sure, I'll be careful." She was patronizing him. He shook his head in mild annoyance.

"Fine. I'll leave you to get dressed then… Join me for breakfast in an hour?" She smiled slightly and nodded.

"Of course, see you then." He left without another word.

"Hmmm, he reminds me an awful lot of a certain villain sometimes… That cocky smirk, the sarcasm. He always looks slightly amused by me too." Stephanie's thoughts began to wander. _He's such a perfect gentlemen, and yet, not one somehow. I mean, he calls me 'milady', but he doesn't always treat me with that kind of respect. Well, only to a certain extent he does anyways. _Not that she minded that at all. He was fun to be around, and he really did remind her of Robbie. _Hmmm, I wonder what it would be like to kiss Jack. He does seem – no, no, no, Stephanie, don't think like that. He's handsome, but you're a princess now. You can't…_ _oh, boy. I'm in trouble…_

* * *

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Lazytown, said 'certain villain' was sitting in his fuzzy orange chair restlessly, staring at the piece of cake he'd fixed himself nearly ten minutes ago. Robbie couldn't seem to stop thinking about Stephanie. He was wondering if she'd be at the palace yet. _Most likely is. Those ships can be fast when they need to be… and with little miss impatient on board… She hates airships too._ He had half a mind to 'call' the palace himself and see if she was there, but no, they wouldn't answer to him, and that would be a bad idea for more than one reason anyways. He continued to stare at the piece of cake. He picked up the fork absent mindedly and dug into it, picking up a huge piece, but he put it back down long before it reached his lips. Why, he wished he knew. It looked delicious, and he'd been craving something sweet all day, but now that he had it, he couldn't stop thinking about Stephanie, and how she still loved her fruit. And running. And exercise altogether, really… He sighed and stood up, picking up the piece of cake and throwing it in a trash bin. He'd lost his appetite. _Wait, did I really just do that…? Oh, Lord, I'm losing my mind. I knew from the very beginning that girl would be the end of me someday…_The phone started ringing.

"What is it now, Julia? You do know that she's already long gone, right?" He tried to sound annoyed when he picked up the phone, but wound up sounding completely emotionless.

"_How do you always… oh, never mind. Yes, I know she's gone. That's why I'm calling actually. I haven't had any visions of her since she left, but… I just had one now."_ She paused, as if she really didn't want to say what she had seen. Robbie really was slightly annoyed now, but his voice remained oddly emotionless.

"I'm not in the mood, Julia, just spit it out or hang up."

"_Ok, ok, sorry, I just know you're not going to like me for this. I saw her kissing someone."_

"Kissing someone? Not the worst possible thing I suppose, as long as it's not another woman. Then she just wouldn't be my Stephanie anymore…"

"_She's not yours anymore, and I know. I do hope to change her mind about that someday, by the way… but that's not what's important. It was a man, but… well, this is scary. The way he was acting in my vision, uh, he, well, reminded me of you."_

"Me? Wait, what?"

"_He was very… rogue, I suppose would be the proper term, but in a good way. He's the captain of the ship she's on, her 'royal escort'. He was… Like you, except the exact opposite. He looked to be well over six feet tall, and he was big and muscular, built like a bear, and…"_

"JULIA! I don't want to hear this, get to the point."

"_Ok, ok, jeez. My point is that _she_ kissed _him_. On the lips. Practically threw herself at him. That's all I saw, of course, the vision only really lasted about thirty seconds, but that was more than enough time…"_

"Ok, ok, wait a minute: that doesn't sound at all like her. She thinks girls that throw themselves at men like that are the most desperate, horrible, sleazy women on the planet. She's not like that _at all_. She must have been drunk or something…" He sounded slightly panicky, but tried to calm himself. "And again, why do I care about all of this?"

"_Because as far as I know you've been sulking for the past week because you lost her. I mean, gods Rob, did you ever stop to think that you could possibly win her back?"_

"Win her back?" He was surprised. That particular thought actually hadn't crossed his mind. "No, I never thought of that. What are you getting at Jules?"

"_What I'm getting at is this: you need to man up. I mean, I don't know as much about this Stephanie of yours as you do, but even I think it's obvious that she likes tough men. Big, strong, and capable. I mean, not to say that you're not capable, but you could do better if you wanted. Simply being a bad-ass isn't going to cut it with her and since I have a feeling she could really be the one for you…_"

"Yeah, right, thanks, that's real helpful. Goodbye Julia." He was getting angry.

"_ROBBIE! Don't, please, just listen. I don't want to see you stay this miserable forever. I mean, the last time something like this happened you didn't stop sulking for nearly two decades. If you ever want to find yourself a girl, you're going to have to make some changes."_

"I won't even bother asking why you really care. I mean, I suppose that does make sense anyways. But… how would I even…"

"_Oh, don't worry about that. If you're willing to listen to me, and I mean _really_ listen for once, I'll whip you into shape in no time. It'll be kind of fun anyways." _He could just imagine the wicked grin on her face, but he chose to ignore it. She had a point. He couldn't believe he was giving in so easily, but…

"Alright. That makes a lot of sense." He walked over and picked up the tray with the rest of the cake in it, absent mindedly tossing it in the trash. "…I know, Jules, I'm amazed too. Just cut the crap and tell me how the hell do I even begin to begin?"

* * *

Stephanie stared at the long sword the captain was holding out to her. It was thinner than the one he'd shown her earlier, lighter too, a fact that she seemed none too pleased with.

"Stephanie? What's wrong?"

"It's smaller than the other one." She replied simply, shooting him a mild glare.

"Yes, I know."

"Do you usually teach someone how to fight with a smaller sword?" He stared at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she was getting at.

"No, not necessarily…" Her glare harshened, and he suddenly realized what was wrong. "Ah, I see. You don' t want to be treated any differently."

"Well, why should I? I could do anything you could do, I'm sure of it."

"Not necessarily. If I were to give you a normal sword it would be far too heavy, and since you've no idea how to handle one properly…"

"Well, that's the point. I want to learn." He sighed, trying to hide his growing frustration. He had gone into this hoping to discourage her somehow so she would no longer want to learn. _Fencing, princess? Really?_

"I know that, but I think it would be better for you to learn with a lighter sword, that way you can learn how to handle one without hurting yourself. I'll give you an actual fighting sword to practice with when I think you're ready." Her glare didn't soften at all. She was obviously not happy. _Please, don't argue..._

"Well,_ captain,_ I'll have you know that I think that's very silly. If I'm going to learn, it might as well be with a sword I would use in an actual fight."

"I doubt you'll ever actually wind up fighting with one anyways, _milady_, so I'll have you know that I think this whole thing is very silly. I know how things work in the rest of the world, but here things are very different, and women do not normally find themselves fighting at all, much less princesses. Much less with _swords._" He raised his voice slightly at this, and realized that he was getting bolder than he had any right to be. _She's a princess, Jack. A stubborn, hard-headed, adventurous, beautiful…_ he shook his head slightly… _hot tempered one maybe, but still a princess._ He caught her gaze as she looked at him, and was suddenly struck with the thought that she didn't seem to care.

"I hardly care. I still want to learn. And if you won't teach me, _captain, _I'm sure I can find someone else on board this ship who will be happy to do it." He didn't like this idea at all. He'd grow rather protective of her over those four short days. He liked her, and if any of his men ever dared to lay a finger on her…

"NO!" He answered a little too quickly. "I-I mean, I wouldn't if I were you. They only have one thing on their minds when it comes to you, and since I'm sure you know exactly what that one thing is, _milady_." The smile that graced her lips was mischievous and very un-princess like.

"Hmmm, I do indeed know what that one thing is. There _are _a lot of good-looking men aboard, too…"

"Stephanie! How could you even think such a thing…" She shrugged.

"I know how to get what I want, that's all." He stared at her, speechless. _She sounds… she sounds like a villain!_ He was startled and slightly disturbed by this particular discovery, though not as disturbed as he was by his next though, which was that this sort of behavior was oddly attractive on her. It didn't help that he'd been resisting the urge to kiss her ever since he first saw her. _She's apparently got some experience too… no, no, no! Stop thinking like that, damnit!_ "Somehow, I don't doubt that for a minute. But I asure you, such tactics will not work on me," _liar,_ "I still think this is ridiculous, and I'm beginning to think I should not have agreed to it in the first place." He was raising his voice again. She shrugged, remaining calm.

"Alright then, suit yourself."She turned around and smiled when she realized they now had a small audience of crew members (they were on the deck) who were apparently very amused that such a small female had managed to enrage there captain, a feat which was not, apparently, easy. She walked up to one of them, swaying her hips seductively.

"Would you be so kind as to teach me, sir?" She placed a hand on his chest. "I'd be sure to repay you in full, believe me." The captain stood behind her in the same spot, growing more and more furious with every action she made. The man didn't notice this, unfortunately for him, and responded as though his captain was not even present.

"Oh, I'm sure you would. I'd, uh, be happy to teach you." He boldly brought one hand up to caress her cheek…

And was, to his utter disbelief, thrown roughly backwards onto the deck of the ship. He looked up, dumbfounded, to find he was staring down the blade of his captains sword, which was pointed at his neck. The captain was staring down at him, his face flushed red with anger, looking like he might actually kill him.

"You make one move other than to draw your sword or go get a bucket and start scrubbing the deck and I swear I will kill you right there, right now you miserable, filthy…" He paused, trying to find the right words, shaking with fury, and finally spat out, "BILGE RAT!" The poor sailor scrambled to get up and head in the opposite direction, knowing better than to fight his captain, as he was much smaller and had a feeling the captain was actually angry enough to kill him… Fortunately for him, Stephanie wasn't about to let that be a possibility.

"NO! Don't, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, don't hurt him!" She was trying to distract him, and it worked. He lowered his sword and turned on her.

"YOU! Princess or no princess, I will not have you mocking me like that on my ship! Get down into your cabin now!"

_**Leave it to Stephanie to get herself in trouble on the ship that's supposed to be her own escort, right? The next chapter will be interesting… review please! I haven't gotten any for the past three chapters…**_


	32. From Princess to Prostitute

Chapter 32: From Princess to Prostitute

_"NO! Don't, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, don't hurt him!" She was trying to distract him, and it worked. He lowered his sword and turned on her._

_"YOU! Princess or no princess, I will not have you mocking me like that on my ship! Get down into your cabin now!"_

"But, I…"

"You are going to be locked in the brig if you don't stop acting like a defiant little villain!"

Stephanie complied without any further hesitation, scrambling to get down to her cabin before she managed to anger the captain further. She ran down the stairs, pausing briefly when she heard the sailor, emboldened by his own outrage at hearing the oh so lovely (and _willing_) princess being yelled at like that. He made some uncalled for comment about the captain being awful protective of Stephanie, and the captain didn't seem to appreciate the implication behind it... She knew the captain had to be absolutely fuming by now.

"WHAT?!" He roared, then started rambling off something in that same foreign language that was apparently their native tongue (she had a feeling it was mostly curses), then "Lock him in the brig! I'll have a proper talk with him later!" She sensed something very ominous in his voice, and she didn't like the sound of it. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! I should've known that wouldn't of worked the way it would've with Robbie… I've got to find a way to calm Jack down. That poor man didn't really do anything wrong…_

She walked the rest of the way down the hall down to her cabin and walked in, quietly closing the door behind her. She sat down on the bed, waiting noiselessly for the captain to come bursting in, as she was quite positive he would.

The captain was absolutely furious. Who did she think she was?! Well, a princess of course, but he'd never seen any princess act like that before. Quite frankly, he'd never seen _any_ girl act like that, not even ones that came where she was from. Only women of… 'easy virtue'. (He had a few much more horrible and much more inappropriate titles in mind, but he was again reminded of the fact that she _was_ a princess.) He was beginning to get suspicious… How much did anyone really know about her? The king and queen didn't seem to know all that much even. She'd just popped up out of nowhere, and they had believed her because of what? The fact that she _looked_ like a member of the royal family? That didn't count for much. He'd had doubts from the very beginning, though he'd have never voiced them out loud, and certainly not to the king and queen, but now he was almost positive that there was much more to Stephanie than met the eye. (Though, he did have to admit that the eye did not exactly go wanting…) She was too free and easy with herself. Why, she'd spent no more than a day on board before she'd taken to climbing the rigging, dressed not in the dress that he'd insisted she wear (it had been one of many that he had bought for his daughter, and since she hadn't had any proper dresses of her own…) but in a pair of shorts and a tight tank top. His men had nearly gone ballistic, and she had enjoyed the attention far too much…

He would give up the act, he decided finally. No more treating her like a prim and proper princess ought to be treated. Obviously that didn't do it for her, and she needed to be put in her place before she met the king and queen, anyways. Besides, he refused to tolerate that kind of behavior on board his ship. _I think I'll have to take a different approach with her, though. I know I can be a bit of a rogue sometimes… she seems to take to that better, though._ He walked up to her door and opened without it permission, boldly walking right in to find her sitting calmly on the bed.

"I…" He tried to find the right words.

"What?"

"I… you… are impossible to figure out, _princess_, you know that?"

"Yes, I've been told that before _captain_." She still hated being referred to as 'princess' or 'milady', and she knew that he didn't really like it when she called him captain, soo…

"I'm sure you have. You always seem to leave me with more questions than answers."

"Questions?"

"Yes, _princess_. The one that's disturbing me the most right now is where on earth did you learn to act like _that?_"

"Like what? I've no idea what you mean, _captain_." She was playing dumb. He was in no mood for games.

"Like a… a… a _prostitute?_ I've never seen any princess act like that before, I can tell you that for certain."

"Prostitute? In other words you're calling me a slut." She seemed to almost smirk at this.

"…" He wanted to protest, but couldn't. It was true… "Yes, _princess_, I am. Though, I somehow get the feeling that you take it as a compliment."

"At this particular moment? Yeah, _captain_, I take it as a compliment. I was only trying to make you a little jealous," she was being much too frank, " it's not my fault you reacted more strongly than I expected, nor that he couldn't resist me." She was being incredibly arrogant, and it was only adding fuel to the fire. Apparently, she knew exactly what she had done wrong, and found it to be quite amusing that she had managed to anger him so in doing it.

"Of course. Well, you're royal welcome on this ship has officially worn out. I'm not going to play games and I do _not_ tolerate _whores_ on my ship. Princess or no princess, if you're going to act like that I will throw you in the brig and treat you as such until I can be rid of you at the palace."

"I doubt they'll be too happy when they-"

"The king and queen would no doubt trust me far more than they would trust you, seeing as they don't even know you." He cut her off abruptly, startling her slightly. She was arrogant and, obviously, far too bold. It was maddening… "They'd be far more apt to believe me." She just stared at him.

"Hm." She snorted, but her façade fell when she actually thought about what he had said. It did make sense… "Y-you wouldn't actually lock me up, would you Jack?"

"Keep acting the way you're acting and I just might." She looked down when he said this, staring at the floor as she quietly mumbled 'I'm sorry.' He sighed and walked over to her, sitting down next to her on the bed. "No, of course I won't actually lock you in the brig. But I must insist that you at least tell me the truth. I mean, where on earth did you learn to act like that?" She stood up, suddenly looking frustrated.

"You'd never believe me even if I told you… And you'd for sure lock me up if you did." He raised a curious eyebrow.

"Don't be too sure about that, Stephanie. If it's something I need to know…"

"I suppose it's only fare that I tell you. I mean, it's obvious that I'm no princess. I don't honestly know what the heck I'm doing. I think this was all a mistake…"

"Mistake? Not a princess? What do you mean, I don't understand."

"I'm sure the word 'villain' has crossed your mind in reference to me by now. More than once, even." He nodded slightly, so she went on. "Well, that's because I really ought to be one by now. Does the name Robert Rotten mean anything to you?" He stared at her hard for a moment.

"Yes, I've heard it before. He's one of the most powerful villains in the darklands… or was, anyways. He disappeared…"

"Darklands? Never mind, you can explain that one to me later… He didn't disappear. I know where he is. He's living in an underground 'lair', the entrance to which is located right outside of Lazytown. I know this because I've been there to many times to count. I lost my virginity there, quite frankly. Robbie was my boyfriend. We were together for almost two months. I dumped him… but that's got nothing to do with this. Anyways, he taught me everything I know about how to use my powers and act like royalty… and about being a villain. See, I never planned to even go to the palace. I planned to go back with him eventually, to be a villain. I mean, it all seemed so corny then, so silly, and I doubted that it really mattered as much as Sportacus had said it did. But then when I realized Sportacus was in trouble, big trouble… and Robbie's sister had this vision of me becoming a hero… Robbie hacked, basically, into the palace and got me right to Jason who recognized me immediately and sent you."

"I… that… explains… a lot…" He was dumbfounded.

"Yeah, I'm sure it does. See, I'm used to getting my way. I don't suppose anyone would have said this out loud, not even me, but I had Robbie, uh, 'whipped' quite frankly. It didn't take much to get him to listen to me. He knew what would happen if he didn't. Hell hath no fury and all that jazz…" The arrogance was coming back. The word 'hubris' came to the captains mind, if only briefly. "And if, by chance, he didn't listen to me I would simply pull a stunt similar to that one and he'd generally give in to me. It was quite fun honestly. Though I admit that he did turn it around on me a few times… Anyways, I realize that was a stupid thing to do. You're nothing like Robbie, after all, and this is _your_ ship we're on, even if I am a princess. You're absolutely right in thinking that I had no right to act like that. Though that wouldn't normally stop me. I mean, it was rather amusing…" He stared at her, still dumbfounded.

"I… you… I mean… wow. What am I going to do with you?" He shook his head.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find some way to try and put me in my place, but believe me, everyone back home tried several times, and it didn't work, so…"

"You know, that kind of behavior won't slide at the palace. They… well, quite frankly, they won't tolerate your arrogance. Even a princess has to answer to the queen and king, and the council, and Jason if she's a hero, a notion which is, in itself, absurd. That's not a woman's place…"

"A woman's place? You haven't seen just what I can do, _captain_. And, like I said, Julia did have that vision…"

"Vision? Well, exceptions are made from time to time, but I doubt any one will ever trust you enough for that. We'll see. And as for 'what you can do', you're right. I haven't seen just what you can do, and I'm sure you'll feel so inclined to show me eventually. But, not right now." He sighed, then stood up. "Right now, I have to go deal with, uh, Joshua." He suddenly looked angry again.

"What? Oh, no, the sailor! Wait!" She jumped in front of him. "Don't! It, uh, it wasn't his fault."

"What do you mean? You may have been trying to seduce him, but he should still have known far better than to…"

"No, I did more than that. I guess you didn't, uh, didn't notice, but my hand was glowing pink when I touched his chest. I put a sort of spell on him. He literally couldn't resist me."

"Alright… But that doesn't excuse the fact that he talked back…" He trailed off when he realized that Stephanie wasn't really listening, nor did she seem to really care. She was, strangely, staring at his lips as he talked. _Oh, no. She can't mean too…_ Oh, yes, she apparently did. Before he could say a word in protest, her lips had collided with his, and she had somehow managed to push him up against the closed… _closed?_... door to her cabin. He was, at first, so taken by surprise that he kissed back. She was not a bad kisser… but he came to his senses pretty quickly, and pushed her away. He meant to do it abruptly, but it wound up being a gentle nudge backwards.

"Oh… What… was that?"He was breathless. She smirked, and shrugged.

"I don't know. It just seemed like a good idea. I could tell you liked it too…" He stared at her in disbelief.

"I… You… what… Oh, blast it all." He mumbled, turning around and heading back to his cabin. He didn't, unlike Stephanie, seem to notice the three crew members standing just down the hall and in front of the steps leading up on deck. She smirked at them also.

"Hmmm, seems Jac… er, the Captain… is a bit flustered. Guess whatever you had to say will have to wait, boys." And with that, she walked back into her cabin…

_**Short chapter, I know, but I'm going to retell this part more from Stephanie point of view next. I couldn't do that in this chapter, because it would have been impossibly long then… Review, please.**_


	33. Manipulation

_**Ok, so, the beginning of this chapter is just the same as the last chapter, except it's what Stephanie was thinking as they talked. **_

Chapter 33: Manipulation

_She walked the rest of the way down the hall down to her cabin and walked in, quietly closing the door behind her. She sat down on the bed, waiting noiselessly for the captain to come bursting in, as she was quite positive he would._

It didn't take long. It was no more than five minutes later that she heard him down the hall, his boots thumping on the wood as he walked. He walked in boldly, not even bothering to knock first, and just stood there, staring at her.

"I…" He was, apparently, at a loss for words. She rolled her eyes, though he didn't seem to notice it.

"What?"

"I… you… are impossible to figure out, _princess, _you know that?"

"Yes, I've been told that before, _captain_?" She still hated being referred to as 'princess' or 'milady', and she knew that he didn't really like it when she called him captain, soo…

"I'm sure you have. You always seem to leave me with more questions than answers." She wasn't sure she understood that one.

"Questions?"

"Yes, _princess._ The one that's disturbing me the most right now is where on earth did you learn to act like _that?_"She held back a chuckle. _Oh, if he only knew_.

"Like what? I've no idea what you mean, _captain_." She decided to play dumb. He did not look happy. _Good._

"Like a… a… a _prostitute?_ I've never seen any princess act like that before, I can tell you that for certain." His answer surprised her. _Prostitute? Oh, he's got some nerve…_

"Prostitute? In other words you're calling me a slut." She played it cool, allowing the slightest hint of a smirk to grace her plump lips. He didn't respond at first, apparently at a loss for words again. Then…

"Yes, _princess_, I am. Though, I somehow get the feeling that you take it as a compliment." Stephanie was actually starting to feel angry. _Heck no, I don't take that as a compliment._ But she kept up her little façade well.

"At this particular moment? Yeah, _captain_, I take it as a compliment. I was only trying to make you a little jealous," she decided to be frank about it, trying to tick him off, "it's not my fault you reacted more strongly than I expected, nor that he couldn't resist me." She smiled to herself. She actually had found that part to be rather amusing. She _did_ pride herself on being able to affect men like that… He didn't seem to like this too much, though.

"Of course. Well, you're royal welcome on this ship has officially worn out. I'm not going to play games and I do _not_ tolerate _whores_ on my ship. Princess or no princess, if you're going to act like that I will throw you in the brig and treat you as such until I can be rid of you at the palace." _Throw me in the brig? Be rid of me? And here I thought this was supposed to be _my _escort._

"I doubt they'll be too happy when they-"

"The king and queen would no doubt trust me far more than they would trust you, seeing as they don't even know you." He'd apparently had enough, because he didn't even let her finish her sentence. _The nerve of him. Oooo…_"They'd be far more apt to believe me." She just stared at him and snorted, keeping up her little façade until she actually began to process what he had just said. _Wait a minute…_

"Y-you wouldn't actually lock me up, would you Jack?" She asked, slightly sheepish now.

"Keep acting the way you're acting and I just might." She cast her eyes downward at that. _Ok, maybe I've gone a bit too far this time…_ She mumbled I'm sorry, not daring to look back up at him, even when he walked up and sat next to her on her bed.

"No, of course I won't actually lock you in the brig. But I must insist that you at least tell me the truth. I mean, where on earth did you learn to act like that?" She glanced back up at him. _Oh, I wish I could tell him. I wish I could explain. Maybe… I do owe him at least that. I don't have to go into _too_ much detail…_ She suddenly felt very frustrated. Was this really her fault? Acting like that had always gotten her exactly what she wanted before, why should she have thought it would be any different now? She stood up and turned to him.

"You'd never believe me even if I told you… And you'd for sure lock me up if you did."

"Don't be too sure about that, Stephanie. If it's something I need to know…" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I suppose it's only fair that I tell you. I mean, it's obvious that I'm no princess. I don't honestly know what the heck I'm doing. I think this was all a mistake…" She started babbling, unsure of how to go about telling him anything. _He's going to think I'm crazy._

"Mistake? Not a princess? What do you mean, I don't understand." He seemed confused. She shook her head slightly.

"I'm sure the word 'villain' has crossed your mind in reference to me by now. More than once, even." She paused, and he nodded, so she went on. "Well, that's because I really ought to be one by now. Does the name Robert Rotten mean anything to you?" He stared at her for what seemed the longest time, and she started to feel uncomfortable.

"_Is telling him this really a good idea." _The Voice appeared next to her. _Been a while since you've bothered to try and talk to me. Why does it matter?_

"Yes, I've heard it before. He's one of the most powerful villains in the darklands… or was, anyways. He disappeared…" The captain gave his response before The Voice could.

"_Because he may not take it so well. Maybe you should forget about Robbie and Lazytown and Julia and everything back there and… well, lie low for a while, if you know what I mean."_ Again, the Voice was warning her of stupid things that she didn't really care about. She wished it would just go away. She could handle things on her own, she didn't need her so-called 'subconscious' constantly trying to mother her. She didn't bother to respond. Instead, she began talking to Jack again.

"Darklands? Never mind, you can explain that one to me later… He didn't disappear. I know where he is. He's living in an underground 'lair', the entrance to which is located right outside of Lazytown. I know this because I've been there to many times to count. I lost my virginity there, quite frankly. Robbie was my boyfriend. We were together for almost two months. I dumped him… but that's got nothing to do with this. Anyways, he taught me everything I know about how to use my powers and act like royalty… and about being a villain. See, I never planned to even go to the palace. I planned to go back with him eventually, to be a villain. I mean, it all seemed so corny then, so silly, and I doubted that it really mattered as much as Sportacus had said it did. But then when I realized Sportacus was in trouble, big trouble… and Robbie's sister had this vision of me becoming a hero… Robbie hacked, basically, into the palace and got me right to Jason who recognized me immediately and sent you." It all came spilling out of her mouth, faster than she could stop it anyways, and it felt good to get it all out for some reason. _Though, I doubt he needed to know about me and Robbie in his, uh, lair, but oh well…_

"I… that… explains… a lot…" The captain was staring at her, seemingly dumbfounded.

"Yeah, I'm sure it does. See, I'm used to getting my way. I don't suppose anyone would have said this out loud, not even me, but I had Robbie, uh, 'whipped' quite frankly. It didn't take much to get him to listen to me. He knew what would happen if he didn't. Hell hath no fury and all that jazz…" She smirked slightly. That had, in her opinion, been one of the best things she'd 'learned' how to do whilst she was with Robbie: control, quite literally, men. The Voice continued to ramble on.

"_Oh, and here we go with _that _again. You know, the word 'hubris' does come to mind when dealing with you sometimes." _Stephanie rolled her eyes. _Oh, shut it, will you? I don't even know what that word means, and I hardly care anyways._ She went back to ignoring her. "And if, by chance, he didn't listen to me I would simply pull a stunt similar to that one and he'd generally give in to me. It was quite fun honestly. Though I admit that he did turn it around on me a few times… Anyways, I realize that was a stupid thing to do. You're nothing like Robbie, after all, and this is _your_ ship we're on, even if I am a princess. You're absolutely right in thinking that I had no right to act like that. Though that wouldn't normally stop me. I mean, it was rather amusing…" She shrugged slightly, another gesture to which he seemed to take no notice, then waited for his reaction. He continued to look dumbfounded. _Well, you could at least say _something_, Jack._

"I… you… I mean… wow. What am I going to do with you?" He shook his head.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find some way to try and put me in my place, but believe me, everyone back home tried several times, and it didn't work, so…"

"You know, that kind of behavior won't slide at the palace. They… well, quite frankly, they won't tolerate your arrogance. Even a princess has to answer to the queen and king, and the council, and Jason if she's a hero, a notion which is, in itself, absurd. That's not a woman's place…"

"A woman's place? You haven't seen just what I can do, _captain_. And, like I said, Julia did have that vision…" She argued.

"Vision? Well, exceptions are made from time to time, but I doubt any one will ever trust you enough for that. We'll see. And as for 'what you can do', you're right. I haven't seen just what you can do, and I'm sure you'll feel so inclined to show me eventually. But, not right now." He heaved a sigh, then stood up, suddenly looking angry and determined again. "Right now, I have to go deal with, uh, Joshua." It took her a moment to realize who he was probably talking about.

"What? Oh, no, the sailor! Wait!" She jumped in front of him, suddenly frantic. "Don't! It, uh, it wasn't his fault." She lied.

"What do you mean? You may have been trying to seduce him, but he should still have known far better than to…"

"No, I did more than that. I guess you didn't, uh, didn't notice, but my hand was glowing pink when I touched his chest. I put a sort of spell on him. He literally couldn't resist me." She continued, lying through her teeth to try and save the poor sailor.

"Alright… But that doesn't excuse the fact that he talked back…" He trailed off, looking at her. Stephanie put on her little façade again, pretending to examine his lips, which _did_ look rather kissable, she had to admit. Before he could really get in a word of protest, she had him pushed up against her cabin door… _wait, when did we get out in the hall way?..._ and he, apparently too surprised to even think, began to kiss back on instinct. It didn't last long, though. He came to his senses, far too quickly in her opinion, and gently pushed her away.

"Oh… What… was that?" He was breathless. She smirked in satisfaction, then shrugged.

"I don't know. It just seemed like a good idea. I could tell you liked it too…" She played it cool. He stared at her, apparently unable to believe that she would do such a thing.

"I… You… what… Oh, blast it all." He mumbled, turning and heading towards his cabin. He didn't seem to notice the three crew members standing at the bottom of the stairs leading up on deck, but Stephanie did. She gave them a smirk.

"Hmmm, seems Jac… er, the Captain… is a bit flustered. Guess whatever you had to say will have to wait, boys." The stared at her as if she were nuts, and she smiled in satisfaction, turning on her heal and heading calmly back into her cabin… and then picking up the first object within her reach and hurling across the room in anger.

"I can't believe he had the nerve to call me a… a… a slut!" Oh, yes, she would definitely have to have another talk with him. The only problem was, she had to get herself back under control first. "Of all the things… and then he threatens to lock me up! Oooooh!" She turned and punched the wall behind her, so hard her hand went straight through it. She stood there, staring through the hole in the wall and into the hall way outside, feeling slightly disturbed at the realization of just how thick the wooden wall was. "Jeez, I didn't think I was _that_ strong…" She paused for a moment and she could've sworn she heard a bang! similar to the one that she'd created hitting the wall, only this one came from down the hall, from the captain's cabin maybe? "Ok, maybe I'll, uh, wait a while…"

Robbie glared at his older sister, wondering just what she was thinking when she came up with the ridiculous plan she had for him. Honestly, he could understand the weight lifting, and the dozens of other odd yoga like workouts that she'd gotten him to try, and even the simpler things, like sit-ups and push-ups (though, he couldn't do very many of either, nor could he lift much as of yet, and the yoga workouts _were_ a pain). He just figured it would all be worth it if he could just get his Stephanie's attention again. But this… this was just plain ridiculous. He wasn't a runner, never had been, probably never would be, and he felt like he was about to pass out…

"Julia! I… can't…" He tried to talk between his gasps for oxygen, but he couldn't get the words out.

"Look, we need to get you in shape _somehow_." She was standing next to him, perfectly fine, though she'd been right alongside him for the past, what?, three miles maybe? "It's not that bad."

"Are you… crazy?"

"No, but I'll take it as a compliment if you think I am. Come on, Rob, just one more mile. You'll live. We're elves, our bodies were made for this." He snorted, but straightened up and started running again. She followed. "You'll thank me for this when you marry her, just keep that in mind."

"Ha! Yeah, right. I don't even know why I'm bothering to try. She'll never marry me, not if any of your little visions come true. Besides, I'm, uh, not the marrying type. You should know _that_ too."

"You don't know that she won't. Honestly, I think she'll still be pretty open-minded when she's queen. And I know you aren't _normally_. But I also know you'd marry her, given the chance." He didn't respond to that one. They ran in silence for a while. Then…

"You're right."

"Of course I am."

"Well, not about her still being open-minded or whatever, but about me. I _will_ marry her, if I ever get the chance. I mean, I doubt I will, but…"

"You need to learn how to not be such a downer. By the way, we're back at my house in case you hadn't noticed." He glanced side-ways at her house as they came up to it, then stopped. Julia chuckled. "There, now, was that really so bad?"

"Yeah, actually, it was, but whatever. Are we done for today or what?"

Stephanie decided to let a few days pass before she tried talking to Captain Jack again. She was about to approach him the next morning, but was stopped on her way up on deck by the same sailor, Joshua, who she had seduced. Apparently the captain had focused his anger on her, and decided to let him go.

"Are you planning to go hunt down the captain?"

"Yes, actually, I am. We, uh, need to talk… wait a minute, he let you out?"

"Uh, yes… I'm not sure why, though I'm thankful of course. He'd, uh, probably kill me for real if he saw me talking to you right now…" He looked over his shoulder, seeming almost paranoid. "I-I do hope you'll forgive me for being blunt, milady, but you're probably the last person he wants to see now. I don't know what you did… I'm sorry, I don't mean to assume, but no one else on this ship would even know how to make him so angry… but he's in a very foul mood. I, uh, I'd suggest you give it a few days before talking to him." Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

"Foul mood? In other words, he still pissed at me." Joshua looked slightly startled.

"Well, uh, y-yes, milady, I-I suppose you could put it that way, but…" She chuckled.

"You know, I think I liked you better when you were flirting with me up on deck yesterday." He blushed heavily.

"Y-yes, well, I, uh, I mean… I don't, uh, I don't know what I was thinking, really, that was very foolish of me, and I…" He was babbling. She chuckled again.

"Well, relax. Jack's not here now… sorry, I meant the captain isn't, and you're not doing anything wrong just by talking to me." He smiled at this, but didn't relax any.

"I suppose you're right, milady…"

"Besides, I wouldn't let him do anything to you anyways. And don't call me 'milady', please. That drives me crazy. Just call me Stephanie." He hesitated to speak again, seeming like he wanted to protest, but then decided not to.

"Well, you, uh, you can call me Josh, I guess. Most people do."

"Ah, ok then…" She glanced down at the sword hanging from his belt. "You know, the captain never did get to that first lesson." He followed her gaze, looking down at his sword.

"Oh! Uh, yes, I noticed that… I don't see why he was so opposed to the idea of you learning such a skill. I mean…" She smiled. _I think I've got him._

"You know, you _could_ teach me. I mean, we could do it when the captains not on deck…" He jumped at the idea, relaxing some and suddenly looking enthusiastic.

"I would like that! I mean… I suppose you're, uh, right. You could surprise the captain, too… But I only have one sword. You'd have to borrow one from someone else… not that that would be hard to do, it's just it would be bigger… are you sure." Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Yes, I'm absolutely positive."

"I, uh, well, uh, alright then… the captain usually goes down to his cabin for a while around noon, so I'll meet you up on deck then? In the mean time, I would caution you to lay low…"

"Oh, believe me, I intend to. Ahem," she cleared her throat and her eyes narrowed, focusing on something behind him, "thank you for the advice, uh, Joshua. I'll be sure to do that." He turned slowly, and jumped slightly when he saw the captain's first mate standing just down the hall. He was a little smaller than the captain, with hair cut short, and he always seemed to be in a bad mood. Stephanie didn't like him. She never really learned his name, didn't really care to, and simply called him what everyone else on bored called him: 'sergeant'. Apparently, someone on the ship had been living in the United States for some time, joined the military, and thought the first mate was more like a drill sergeant than he was like a sailor. Stephanie laughed when she heard that one… Joshua caught on immediately, turning completely to face him and straightening up too, looking tougher than he had a moment before.

"Sir."

"I don't believe you're supposed to be talking to the princess here, sailor."

"…" He didn't know what to say. Stephanie rolled her eyes slightly and spoke up for him.

"I called him over here. I wanted to know something, that's all. He really didn't even want to talk to me." I looked him in the eye. He didn't look very convinced.

"What is it that you wanted?"

"I, uh, I wanted… to know if he'd teach me how to fight. With a sword. Just for the fun of it. The, uh, the captain wouldn't reject the idea, I'm sure." Sergeant looked suspicious.

"Oh? Well, then, I'm sure you won't mind me asking him myself, miss. In the meantime, I'd suggest you," he pointed at Joshua, "keep your distance from her." Stephanie could tell Joshua was getting annoyed. Somehow, she had a feeling he wouldn't hesitate to fight this guy… She stepped in between them purposely.

"Hey, guys!" She took a deep breath, then tried to push some authority into her voice as she went on. "I'm the princess here and I'm saying I want to learn how to fence. Not even the captain can object to that, especially not if I behave myself, which I will, trust me. Now, both of you can just scurry back up on deck and do whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. You won't be hearing anymore from me for another two hours anyways." They both stared at her, looking slightly dumbfounded. Apparently it had worked. Sergeant spoke first.

"Alright then, princess. Suit yourself. Just hope neither of you comes crying to me when cap'n Jack gets angry at you." He turned and walked away before either of them could respond. Joshua looked at Stephanie, then sighed.

"You… are one very interesting princess, uh, Stephanie, you know that?"

_**Not much to say, I suppose. Review please. I haven't gotten one in a while, and I gave you a longer chapter this time too…**_


	34. Deception and Memories

Chapter 34: Deception and Memories

_"You… are one very interesting princess, uh, Stephanie, you know that?"_ Josh was practically gawking at Stephanie.

"Yes, I know. That's part of the reason why the captain-" She cut off abruptly when she heard the captain himself up on deck, barking at someone who had apparently dared to mention her name. (Well, not her actual name, but he had apparently mumbled something about the princess.) She made a face. "Hm. I have a feeling I'm going to be dying to get off this ship by the time we get to the palace. Especially if you're oh so, uh, _formidable_ captain keeps that up… "

"I told you, miss Stephanie, he's in a very foul mood."

"Just Stephanie, please and thank you… Hey, before you go, I have a rather odd question for you?"

"Why is that not too surprising. What is it?"

"Nothing major, really, so relax. I just want to know if there's any alcohol aboard this ship." He looked confused.

"Uh, well, yes. There's rum, and whiskey I believe, and wine. Doesn't often do much for most of us, but we do have a human or two aboard, and the wine is good… Why on earth did you want to know that?"

"Do you think you could possibly sneak a few empty rum bottles down here? That, and spread a bit of a rumor for me…"

* * *

Four days. Four days, and he hadn't seen or heard anything from Stephanie – er, the princess, of course, his princess –, and if what he'd heard was true, she was not in good shape. Apparently she'd threatened someone in his crew (he couldn't get anyone to tell him who it was for certain) if he didn't bring her some alcohol to drink, rum to be precise, saying that she'd spent the last two weeks keeping up an act that she wasn't interested in keeping up anymore. She'd also sent one particular sailor, the one she'd involved in the 'incident' a few days ago, to plead with him to simply turn around and bring her back, but he would have none of that. He planned to do a bit of stalling, blaming it on no wind and ship's difficulties, and try to teach her some proper manners. It would be difficult, but he was sure it could be done. At least, it could if he could coax her out of her cabin and get her sober. He had a feeling that this would actually be much harder than teaching her how to act like a princess would be… He sighed and called Joshua over to him.

"Yes, captain?"

"The princess is still down in her cabin, is she not?"

"Uh, y-yes sir." He stammered slightly, but the captain ignored it.

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid off. Well, since you seem to be the only one she'll talk to at this point, go talk to her for me. Tell her I'll be down in about two hours, when things start settling down for the night. Tell her… tell her that if she has any sense of decency at all, she'll be at least semi-sober when I get down there." Joshua nodded, mumbled another 'yes sir', then hurried off to complete his task.

* * *

"Oh, really? He's coming to me now? Ha! I actually find that to be somewhat amusing." Stephanie actually did seem rather amused at the news Josh had brought (along with, oddly enough, another two bottles of rum, both full this time).

"Yes, really. I thought you might. I also thought you might want these." He handed her the two bottles. "The captain thinks you've spent the last four days pouting whilst being drunk out of your mind, it wouldn't hurt for you to actually be a tad tipsy when he gets down here… you know, for the sake of your little charade." She chuckled.

"You're right. Thanks… You know, the funny thing is that I could probably down half one of this crazy bottle and I wouldn't be much more than just that, a 'tad tipsy'." He raised his eyebrow.

"That is pure rum, you know. I mean, you're probably right, milady, but you'd better be careful."

"Yes, I know."

"You know, you remind me a lot of your father. Before he married your mother of course. He was… well, not exactly the ideal husband or hero at the time, I can tell you that. At least, he wasn't when I knew him…" Her eyes narrowed upon hearing this. He was startled.

"I beg your pardon, miss. It appears I've finally over stepped my boundries. I'll go. Cap'n's expecting me back up on deck soon, no doubt, anyways."

"Yes. Good idea." She slammed the door closed before he could even turn around. _Jeez. I'm sorry, Stephanie. I didn't mean to upset you…_

* * *

It was now nine o' clock. The captain been waiting anxiously for things to settle down and the nightly watches to begin, because that meant even he would be relieved of his duties for the night, and he could now freely go down and talk to the princess. He walked down the hall, glancing back at his own cabin, briefly wondering if he shouldn't just head to bed and forget about her. Honestly, it would've been easier. But, no, he couldn't do that. He was taking her to the palace, whether she was ready or not, and he'd knew he'd feel better if he knew he'd done everything in his power to prepare her before they got there. He walked up to her door, took a deep breath to gather his resolve – what little of it he had, anyways – and knocked firmly on the door.

"Princess? Are you, uh, still awake? Are you decent?"

"Yes-s, _captain_, I'm awake." She was apparently choosing to ignore the other question.

"Well, are you going to let me in, or is the door even locked?"

"Why should I let you in? I s-see no reasson to, as-s I don't want to s-see you." He sighed. Her words were slurred, her answer vague. _She's still half drunk._

"Well, I won't necessarily shut up or go away if you don't let me in. I'll simply stand here and keep talking. Either way, you're not going to get rid of me any time soon." He heard footsteps, slow and unsteady, then…

"Fine then." She opened the door and stepped out of his way, allowing him in. He glanced at her, not really taking in her appearance yet, then drank in the unruly state of her room.

It was an absolute mess. He wasn't sure what he'd really been expecting, but it still surprised him. There were, for one thing, empty bottles everywhere, and one only half full sitting on a table. What little clothing she'd bothered to change into in the past couple days was scattered half hazardly about the room, as if she just really didn't have the energy, or the will to put them away properly. There were a few books scattered around also, ones that she had apparently attempted to read. He assumed that she'd been too drunk to actually accomplish said task. Her bed, too, was in complete disarray. The blanket wasn't even on it, and the sheets were a mess. The pillow looked as though it had had rum spilled on it. He swallowed back his reprimands, figuring she was too out of it at this point to even remember them, and turned to her, taking in her own appearance for the first time.

She was standing there, leaning up against the wall unsteadily, and glaring at him with cloudy eyes. She was wearing a black tank top that came down low, showing off a very inappropriate amount of her ample breasts, and clinging to her narrow middle as well. He couldn't help but notice her femininely muscular, well toned arms either… the top appeared to be rather dirty, stained in the same way the pillow was. Then there were the jeans she was wearing. They were skin tight all the way down the ankles, 'skinny jeans' he believed these were called, and pitch black in color. She wasn't wearing any shoes. Her long, dark pink hair had been neglected, just like everything else, and was pulled out of her face into an unkempt, messy bun. He didn't realize he was staring until she snapped at him.

"What?"

"Oh, uh, nothing, milady, nothing… Just, uh, wondering why exactly you felt it necessary to allow your cabin to become so messy." She shrugged half heartedly.

"I din't think it mattered." She was keeping her answers curt.

"Yes, well… listen, if you're going to keep this up, you're only going to get yourself in trouble. I'm not going to tolerate this behavior either. You're being ridiculous."

"No, M'not." She pushed herself off of the wall, stood there for a moment, swaying dangerously on her feet, then began a swagger like walk over to the half bottle of rum on the table. "I really jus-s want back home, that's-s all."

"I'm not taking you back now. We've already come too far for that. What I will do, however, is teach you how to act properly. Perhaps if you actually listen to me, you won't get yourself in trouble at the palace."

"Maybe I already know how to 'act properly'. Did ya ever think of that? Momma… she was-s always so strict with me. Never let me have any fun after daddy died." She wasn't making a whole lot of sense. He was having trouble piecing together what she was trying to say. He had a feeling this conversation wasn't going to get him anywhere. She went on. "Ya know, I don' really s-see any reasson why you peoples expect us gals-s to jus-s sit around wearin dresses-s all day and actin like proper little bimbos-s."

"Oh, really?" He decided to simply play along with her.

"Yes-s, really." She had sat down by now, probably finding it to be too difficult to bother standing, and was staring blankly at the bottle in her hand. "I mean, wheres-s the fun in that? Me an Robbie… we'd go dancin all the time, with me dressed no different than I am now. It was-s fun." Again, she wasn't making a whole lot of sense. The captain was having a hard time understanding her. Her slurred speech didn't help much either… She continued to ramble on. "And then theres-s you guys-s." She brought the bottle to her lips suddenly, taking a large swig before continuing. "You're all s-so uptight all the time. Don't you ever…" She trailed off, shaking her head as if it didn't matter anyways. He took a step closer to her, and looked up curiously. He walked the rest of the way over to her slowly, and just stood in front of her, unsure of what to do next.

"Ya know, I told that security… uh, whats-s his name? At the palace? Oh, never mind. I told 'em I din't member much about when I was-s little. But I lied. I remember very clearly. I can member livin in a huge house with daddy and mom. Daddy used to buy all these toys-s and dresses. He s-said he only wanted the best for his lil princess. Guess he meant that more literally than I knew then… I loved him s-so much…"

"He was… a good man, really. He sailed on this ship with me quite a few times and we talked. I know he loved you and your mother very much." He smiled slightly. She nodded.

"I know he did, too. Mom… she went kinda crazy when he died. Moved us-s right outta that mini mansion of a house, boxed up all my toys-s, told me things-s were gonna be really different. I didn't get it then. Don' think I do now, but oh well." He sat himself down onto the desk next to her, relaxing a little bit. If this is what she'd been thinking about over the past couple days, he could see why she'd spent them drunk. Not that he at all approved, but still… "Mom's-s miserable now, too. Had an accident. Can't walk. Won't complain, but I know she can't s-stand it. We got money to fix it, but she won' use it. Stupid, stubborn old woman." She gulped down what was left from the bottle, then frowned when she realized it was empty. "Any chance you'd get more?" He chuckled.

"You hardly need it. No." She snorted.

"Want it."

"Well, I don't care…" He sighed heavily and stood up. "This has been an… interesting conversation, to say the least, but I think it would be best if you, my dear, would go to bed. I'll send down something for you to eat in the morning, provided you're even hungry." He began to walk back to the door. She stood up, even more unsteady than before, and pulled him back.

"Where do ya think you're going? I din't even get a g'night." She pulled him closer before he could respond, then kissed him. The kiss was sloppy, but still pleasant, and he kissed back before he pulled back and chuckled, figuring she wouldn't remember anyways.

"You, my dear, must be very very drunk to try a move like that again." She didn't respond, but kissed him again, this time more fervently. He kissed back without thinking this time, and even allowed her tongue to slide into his mouth. He was beginning to forget just who was kissing, and had just allowed his hand to slide down to her waist, when she pushed him away. He looked confused. She smirked, and before he knew it he was against the wall, his arms being held at his sides with vice like grips, and he was staring straight into her eyes, eyes that were very clear for a girl who was supposed to be drunk.

"Oh, no, captain. I'm not drunk. In fact, I'm far from it." She didn't slur one word. Her sentence was well thought out and clear. He could smell the rum on her breath though…

"What the devil?" He was suddenly very confused.

"Exactly." She smiled and released him, stepping out of his way gracefully. "I don't suppose you like being tricked very much. Or teased like that. Serves you right for daring to call me a slut." He just stared at her, dumbfounded and at a loss for words. She cleared her throat. "Good night captain." He shook his head, and began stumbling out of the room, tripping over the empty bottles on his way, and practically fell out the door, closing it behind him. He wasn't sure if he felt angry, hurt, or annoyed. Maybe it was a combination of all three. One thing he did know, however, was that Princess Stephanie was going to be the death of him soon if he didn't get her off his ship and fast.

* * *

Stephanie closed the door behind him, then walked slowly back over to the desk. She wasn't sure why she had said those things. Sure, she'd been pretending to be out of it, but still. She'd never said anything about when her dad died to anyone, not even Robbie. Now… she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. She walked around to the biggest drawer in the desk and pulled out the other bottle Josh had given her. She had been planning to just toss it somehow, like she'd done with the first half of the other bottle, but now… She sat back down in the chair, disregarding the mess she had purposely made earlier and had intended to clean up, and undid the top to the bottle, bringing it to her lips…

_**Slightly odd place to end it, but if I keep going the chapter will wind up being insanely long.**_

_**In case you hadn't already noticed, these past few chapters are really just filler chapters. I needed to have some time pass, and I thought writing about some of Stephanie's antics on the ship might be interesting. The next chapter should be a bit more serious…**_

_**Review please.**_


	35. Princess Lessons

_**Sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever. I got an idea for and started working on another story and kind of pushed this one aside for a few weeks, and then I was at the military's version of a summer camp last week, so I've been kind of busy. I'm going to try and make this chapter longer to make up for it…**_

Chapter 35: Princess Lessons

_She sat back down in the chair, disregarding the mess she had purposely made earlier and had intended to clean up, and undid the top to the bottle, bringing it to her lips…_

Stephanie woke the next morning to the sun shining through the window of her cabin. She winced slightly from the pain of a minor hangover, but got up none the less and began picking up the mess she had left there the night before. She planned to go up on deck for a while too, though she knew that last night probably wasn't sitting well with the captain, and that she should continue to lay low. She just couldn't stand another day stuck in her dreary little quarters.

She walked up on deck swiftly, ignoring the few strange looks she got from the sailors that noticed her, and headed straight for the galley, hoping to find something to eat. She was wearing a dress, nothing extravagant like the captain had wanted her to wear, but appropriate none the less. It 'covered' everything, anyways. She caught the captains eye up on the top deck*, standing next to the helms men*, and he sent her a mild glare. She ignored him entirely and kept going, disappearing below again.

She entered the galley and was immediately hit with the smell of what they had every morning: an oat meal like substance that was almost tasteless, but filling. She ignored the men at the tables as they gawked at her, and headed straight for the young woman, Tina, standing by the stove in the corner of the room. (Tina was not, in fact, her real name. Her real name was very long, something in there odd tongue that Stephanie couldn't quite pronounce and wound up shortening to Tina.) She was younger than Stephanie, only 16, and always jumped at the chance to talk to Stephanie, as she was the only other female on board for the moment. Stephanie had been dying from the very beginning of her stay to find out just how tiny, innocent little Tina wound up being part of a crew of tough sailor men, but the girl wouldn't tell her anything about it, and was actually quite a puzzle…

"Hello miss! I was hoping you'd come down here… Hungry?" She greeted Stephanie with a bright smile.

"Hi Tina. Yeah, actually, I am." She grabbed a bowl and spoon from the stacks on the counter next to them. Tina filled the bowl up for her and Stephanie, not really wanting to sit by the other sailors seated about the room, jumped up to sit on the counter next to the stove. She (and Tina) were, yet again, fully aware that she was being stared at for her odd behavior, but she hardly cared, and so neither did Tina.

"Where have you been, miss? I've been hearing some very interesting things about you and the captain… If I may be so bold as to ask, of course."

"You can ask me anything you want, Tina, I don't care." Stephanie smiled. "And I doubt that any of those, uh, rumors are true. Me and your wonderful captain had an, uh, argument and I chose to stay out of sight in my cabin for a few days, that's all." Tina didn't look convinced, but said nothing further.

"I do talk to the captain every now and then myself, you know." Stephanie looked at her questioningly.

"Oh?"

"Yes. In fact, I talked to him just yesterday. He mentioned something about teaching you how to act proper." She eyed Stephanie a little bit, emphasizing the way she was sitting. "He says you'll be kicked right out of the palace with the way you behave."

"Oh, really? Well…" Stephanie made a face. "I know I'll most likely get in trouble. I wasn't brought up exactly the way you were, you know. But I like to think I wouldn't be _that_ bad." Tina tried to remain serious, but cracked a smile to spite of herself.

"I don't think you will be. You're not as bad as he seems to think. You're just… adventurous. Like me." Tina smiled.

"Like you indeed." Stephanie chuckled. "So, he's planning to give me some kind of princess lessons, then?"

"Yes, exactly." Tina looked serious again. "If it's not too bold to say, miss, I think you'd do well to listen to him. He knows what he's talking about; he's spent enough time around the royals to know how they act and how they are expected to act." Stephanie nodded.

"I'll do my best. I am here for a reason, after all. I wanted to be a princess; I wanted to meet my grandparents. I don't want them to wind up being ashamed of me." Tina made a face.

"I don't think the captain is. Ashamed of you, I mean. Sure, you frustrate him, but I think he knows it's not really your fault. Quite frankly, he seems to, uh, fancy you, if you know what I mean." Stephanie gave her another questioning look. "I mean, I could think of worse matches for a princess." Now Stephanie looked mildly angry.

"_That_ is too bold, my dear. Me and your captain would be the worst match ever." Tina looked like she was about to protest, but a glare from Stephanie was more than enough to silence her. She held up her hands in surrender before picking up a bucket with dirty dishes in it.

"Beg pardon, miss. It's not really my place." She left it at that, walking across the room to go above decks and leaving Stephanie to think about what she had just said. _She's smart for a sixteen year old…_

* * *

(First day of 'princess lessons')

"So sorry, _captain, _wearing dresses isn't exactly my thing." Stephanie glared (her favorite thing to do, as of a late) at Captain Jack, who was seated in a chair at a desk in his cabin, looking rather frustrated.

"Yes, yes, I know that _milady_, but you must learn how to walk in one, and right now you're doing a horrible job at… well, learning!" Stephanie sighed.

"That doesn't even make sense. I'm trying. Long dresses and high heels put together… I swear I'll kill whoever came up with that stupid combination."

"Hm." He snorted. "Just… try it again, please."

"Fine." She huffed and placed the book back on top of her head before beginning her slow walk across the room once again. She made a little further this time, but the book still fell long before she could reach the other wall. She growled in frustration.

"Is this _really_ necessary?" The captain sighed angrily.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Gracefulness, my dearest, gracefulness. You must learn how to glide across a room wearing exactly what you're wearing now. You must learn to look like you're floating."

"Well, this isn't helping, it's making me mad. Can't we work on something, anything, else?"

"I suppose… how about we work on your speech some more."

"Of course. How long before we get to the palace again?"

"First of all, a better way to say that would be 'how long until we reach the palace?', and at least another full week."

* * *

"Grrrrrr!"

"Uh, are you alright, miss Stephanie?" Josh sounded concerned as he handed Stephanie the sword he'd gotten for her.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just frustrated."

"Ah, you're first lessons with the captain were rather infuriating, then?"

"Yes. _Very_ infuriating."

"Well then. Perhaps this will do you some good. Let it out, as it were." She nodded and brought her sword up as he began instructing her on what to do.

* * *

(Second day)

"That's actually a bit better than yesterday."

"Thanks, I think."

"No need for the attitude, milady."

"I'm not really in the best mood, captain, so you'll just have to deal." Jack made a face.

"I'll let it go for now. You can put the book down and sit if you'd like. We've other things to work on just yet."

"If you're going to try and teach me how to sew again, I swear I'll kick your-"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, such language milady. You really must learn to watch your tongue."

"Oh, really? You don't." He glared at her.

"_I_ am a sailor and a man. You are a royal and a woman. There is a very big difference. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll try to watch my own tongue as well. And yes, it is another sewing lesson."

"Grrrrrr!"

* * *

"Unhappy again, miss Stephanie?"

"Yes, extremely. I pricked every finger on both hands trying to do a simple stitch."

"Ah, that must hurt."

"Yes, very." She took the sword he offered her.

"Do you remember what I taught you yesterday?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good, we'll start from there then." She got into position and did a few simple moves, fighting thin air.

"Wow, you learn fast. Try it against me this time and then we'll move on…"

* * *

(Fourth day)

"You know, I may just have to keep you on this ship longer at this rate. Surely you must have at least some inkling of how to act proper." Stephanie made a frustrated face.

"Yes, I do. I just… don't like acting that way. It's no fun."

"Is there anything that you do like? Truly?"

"Freedom. I like freedom. And whiskey… and guys…. And-"

"Ok, please, stop right there milady. You're despicable." She glared at him. "Look, I really am trying to help you. You're being absolutely hopeless. I'm beginning to think I really should take you back home." Her eyes went wide.

"No! I don't really want to go back home…"

"Oh? Well, what am I to do? Just go ahead and deliver a sleazy, drunken, sex loving… the list goes on and on… woman to the palace, claiming that _this_ is the long awaited princess? You'll be kicked right back out and then I'll have it on my conscious, which is something I truly do not need." She just stared at him.

"Is… is that really all you think of me?"

"Yes. From what I've seen, why should I think any differently?"

"I… I'm sorry. That's just how I am. I know how to, uh, act proper. To a certain extent, anyways. I just… don't. Here…" She stood up, placed the book on her head, and began walking across the room. She was not as graceful as a woman who always wore a dress would be, but she managed to keep the book on her head. He stared at her oddly for a moment.

"Well, what about everything else."

"I really don't sew. But… I know how to talk like a 'royal' would. Such a formal way of speaking simply didn't fit amongst humans. But I'll do my best to speak like that from now on. As for everything else… Well, I suppose some work can be done, but I'll do my best to learn. Can you give me another two weeks?" He seemed a little amazed.

"Well, I, uh, I don't know. This trip should only have taken one week, if I stall us for another two it will have taken a month all together. We'll have to stop somewhere for supplies, as well… I shall do my best though." She nodded before sinking back into her chair. He stared at her some more.

"So you really can't sew?" She looked annoyed again.

"Yes, I really can't sew."

"Well, I suppose it's time for another lesson then."

"Where did you learn to sew, anyways?"

"That's none of your business. Let's try that one stitch again…"

"OWCH. Grrrrrrrr!"

* * *

"I don't think I've ever had someone learn how to fight quite this quickly. Or easily, for that matter. Perhaps I shall try teaching you something a little harder this time."

"Perhaps you should. This should be fun." Stephanie smiled at Josh. He smiled back.

"Indeed."

* * *

(seventh day – end of the first week)

"I think I'm getting better at this. I have yet to prick myself this time, at least."

"Yes, I can see that. It is rather impressive."

"Impressive? Never thought I'd here that word pass your lips in reference to me."

"Well, then, I suppose you experienced everything now."

"Hm. Indeed." Stephanie put down the piece of cloth she'd been working on, admiring the simple pattern she'd somehow managed to embroider it with. It had taken hours of finger-pricking and patience, but she'd managed and now she felt rather proud of herself.

"Perhaps we should try something a bit harder now. I have-" He was cut short by a knock on his cabin door. He stood and opened it to his first mate, who was holding a large box. "Oh, good. I was hoping it wouldn't take long to be ready." He turned to Stephanie with a smile. They had docked at a small fishing town to see if they could repair the ships engine (what made it fly, apparently) and to get some supplies for the ship as it had only been stocked for a two week journey. Stephanie had been dying to get off the ship for a little while, so he had escorted her ashore to do some shopping. One of the many shops they went into was a shop for fine clothing, and he had seen her eyeing some of the beautiful dresses sans her usual disgusted look, which gave him an absurd but brilliant idea… He placed the box in front of her. "Don't ask, just open." She gave him an odd look, but shrugged.

"Alright…" She lifted the corner of the box warily, peeking in at its contents hesitantly. She stared at it for a moment, then looked up at him with a slight smile as she opened the box all the way and pulled out the dress inside it. She stood up and held it up to herself. "Oh, my…" He sighed in relief; he'd been half expecting her to go off on him. He moved closer to her.

"I, uh, I take it you like it, then. I was afraid I would finally overstep my boundaries with you by buying you something like this, but when I saw you admiring those dresses in the store earlier I simply couldn't resist-"

"I love it, Jack. It's absolutely beautiful." She looked him in the eyes. He stared into hers for a moment before responding.

"No less beautiful than you, really…" She looked at him, startled by his flirtatious compliment, blushing heavily.

"Thank you." They stood there for a moment, each one boldly inching closer to the other until they were only inches apart. Stephanie moved forward to kiss him…

"Ahem, yes, of course, um… anything for my future queen." He stepped back. She looked disappointed. "Perhaps we should get Tina down her and into your cabin so you can try it on."

"Uh, yes, perhaps we should… scratch that, I'll go get her myself. Be back shortly, captain." She walked out without another word. He watched her go before slumping back into his chair. _I can't keep doing that… She's the princess. Things could go so very badly if… but I haven't had feelings this strong for a women since… _He thought, briefly, of his former wife, Annabelle. _And there have been worse matches for princesses in the past, I'm sure of it. Why not… well, besides the fact that I'm over 100 years older than her. But that wouldn't be quite so odd, either. Maybe…_ He took a key out of his pocket and opened a certain drawer in his desk, containing a large jewelry box. He took the box out and opened it, placing it on the table to admire its contents; a beautiful necklace and earring set, made out of gold and studded with small rubies and diamonds. It had been a gift from the king for everything he'd done for the royal family, given specifically with his gorgeous Annabelle in mind. He had never been quite sure what he was going to do with it once she died. Now, he had an idea. _Far too bold… but they would match her dress oh so perfectly, and I'm sure she'll be so beautiful in red._ He suddenly remembered something 'Tina' had told him earlier, something about him and Stephanie. And Tina did know what she was talking about when it came to those things. She was never wrong, sixteen though she was. _Smart match indeed. No harm in trying, I suppose… _

* * *

Stephanie no longer knew what to think of the handsome Captain Jack. He was… _handsome, definitely. And smart. And generous. And handsome. And so sweet sometimes. And fairly patient. And handsome…_ Her list went on and on… _And he likes me too, obviously. But that doesn't mean much. He's… and I'm… and he knows that too… grrr. _She suddenly had quite a few different swear words running through her mind…

"There, miss. Finished. Oh, and don't you just look so beautiful." Stephanie was pulled out of her reverie by Tina, who had just finished lacing up the front of her gown. Stephanie turned to a mirror and was a little taken aback. The woman staring back at her looked dainty and delicate, wearing a velvety red dress with beautiful golden trim. The dress had a sort of tie that crisscrossed down the front of her dress and hung down the front of it. It was low cut and tight down to her hips, then it flailed out a little and flowed freely all the way down to rest on the ground, covering her feet. The sleeves came down to her elbows, then detached and flowed down in a lacy golden material from there. She did not at all resemble the rough and ready biker chick that had arrived on the ship a few weeks earlier. _Perhaps… perhaps if I act the way he wants me to… and I do need a good reason to forget about Robbie… and Jack is so amazing… _She turned back to Tina with a smile.

"Let's show the captain, shall we?"

_***For anyone who doesn't know, because I'm a big fan of pirates and I'm strange enough to actually know these things, the top deck is a raised portion at the tail end of the ship where the helm is. (The captain's cabin would be built in underneath it.) And the helm is the wheel that steers the ship. **_

_**Ok, so it took me a while to figure out what her dress would look like, and I finally just went on line and sifted through some random pictures of medieval wedding dresses until I found this. It's exactly the way Stephanie's dress looks, except her dress is made of velvet and the sleeves are gold from her elbows. (remember to take the spaces out first).**_

_**http: / redhotbrides. Com / blog / media /blogs / redhotbrides / Disney / earendil .jpg**_

_**review please.**_


	36. Rubies, A Girl's Best Friend

Chapter 36: Rubies… A Girl's Best Friend

_"Let's show the captain, shall we?"_ Tina nodded.

"I'm sure he'll love it. Oh, but first," she walked over to where the box was sitting on Stephanie's bed. "Apparently, he thought you'd need some shoes to go with it." She reached in the box and pulled a pair of shoes made of the same velvety material the dress was made of. They looked almost like a pair of ballerina slippers, except that they had high heels on them. _Very _high heels. Stephanie sighed.

"Oh, they'll go perfectly, and of course I would have needed them, but… I don't know that I can walk in them." Tina chuckled.

"Just put them on. You're far more graceful than you tend to think." Stephanie rolled her eyes, but put them on none the less, taking a few experimental steps before heading towards the door.

"I guess this isn't _so_bad."

"Did I not tell you it wouldn't be? Now, let's go show your dear captain, shall we?" She urged Stephanie out the door even as she proceeded to protest the fact that the captain was in any way 'hers'. They walked down the short hallway and Tina knocked on his door.

"Captain? She's ready, sir." He told them he'd left the door unlocked, so Tina went first, smiling broadly at the captain in a way that very clearly said 'you shall definitely love it, sir'. He chuckled.

"Well, alright then, let's have it princess." Stephanie stood for a moment more outside the door, then strode through it slowly, coming to stand in front of the captain. He seemed somewhat mesmerized for a moment.

"Oh, you look absolutely stunning, milady." She smiled, trying hard to quell a blush as she did a small curtsy.

"Thank you, for the compliment and the dress. This is probably the nicest gift any guy has ever given me…" She was trying not to blush, but failing miserably.

"That's hard to believe… I'm sure you'll receive much nicer gifts once you get settled in the palace." She locked eyes with him.

"Maybe I will, but none of them will be quite as special as this one…" Stephanie smiled almost flirtatiously, and Tina took that as her queue to slip quietly out the door so as to leave the two alone…

* * *

Robbie Rotten was in his lair, doing sit-ups (and, as usual, wondering why exactly he was actually _listening _to his older sister. Thanks to her, he was dead tired half the time, and desperately craving something chocolate,) when his phone rang and he picked it up to hear the last voice he wanted to hear at that moment.

"You just finally left an hour ago, Julia, what could you possible want now?"

"_Do you always have to be such a jerk, Robbie? I mean, jeez, every time I call, and with news too."_

"_Another_ vision?" A slight hint of worry crept into his voice. "You've never had so many of them, and one right after the other too…"

"_I know, but I've been looking for them, trying to make them come so I can see what's happening with Stephy-"_

"Stephanie, Julia, _Stephanie_."

"_Ah, yes, sorry, _Stephanie_… anyways, it's been working quite well. Apparently she's been have a very good time with her dearest captain."_

"Cut to the chase, Julia, please."

"_Alright, alright, the point is she's falling for him."_

"Falling… for him? I thought you said they seemed to hate each other?"

"_Well, they did, but something's changed, because she's falling head over heels. I don't understand it any more than you do, I keep getting these 10 second visions, not nearly enough to get the full picture_." She sounded frustrated. Robbie sighed, the worry coming back again.

"Relax, Jules, you're trying too hard. You obviously can't expect to make them come _and_ have them be as long as usual. You do have limits, you know…" He trailed off. Julia was silent on the other end for a moment, and she sounded calmer when she responded.

"_I know. Perhaps I should take a break for a day or two… anyways, what I have seen is actually quite disturbing. They're flirting with each other like crazy. It all started, it seems, with this rather expensive gift that he bought about two weeks ago…"_

"A gift?"

"_Yes, a dress, red and velvety, trimmed with gold, came with a pair of heals. The dress goes all the way to the floor. She looked gorgeous, too, she's got a nice figure-"_

"Julia!"

"_Ok, sorry, gods Rob. Again, the point is that it'll be another few days before they actually get to the palace. He's been purposefully delaying they're little trip, trying to teach her some 'manners' before they get there so she won't get in trouble, and it's working well enough; she's listening to him, but at the same time they're spending hours every day together because of it."_

"Manners? Ha, I can't even begin to imagine how little that would affect her in the long run. She can act all she wants, but I know her far better than that."

"_Indeed. Oh, another thing you'll find interesting: she's learning how to fight."_

"Uh, care to elaborate?"

"_Fight like a man, Robbie, with a sword. You know how it is over there; us chicks get the short end of the stick. It didn't take long for her to realize it, and it took even less time after that for her to start breaking all the rules on purpose because she thinks they're silly. She made friends with one of the crewman, and he's secretly teaching her how to fence."_

"Yep, that sounds like my Stephanie. I told her not to let them control her like that. Apparently she listened." He smiled into the phone.

"_Well, yeah, but it is that really a good thing? I think it just spells disaster." _

"She can take care of herself. She'll be alright."

"_I hope so… Anyways, did you like the fruit salad I left you?"_

"Salad?" He glanced over at the empty bowl sitting on the table next to his favorite fuzzy orange chair and made a face. It wasn't chocolate, but it actually didn't taste half bad, and that worried him. "It, uh, wasn't _so_ bad…"

* * *

Stephanie stood at the bow of the _Crusader_ as it flew through clouds quite gracefully, heading for the large stone castle ahead. _So beautiful… Good thing we were able to fly the rest of the way here. I can't wait to finally walk on land again… _Captain Jack walked up and stood next to her.

"Stunning, isn't it?"

"Yes, very. I can't believe I'm going to be living there…" She continued to stare ahead in awe.

"You'll love it." He chuckled and took on a teasing tone. "As long as you don't stir up any trouble."

"Me? Start trouble? I've no idea what you're talking about." She laughed. "I would never… well, not on purpose anyways."

"Of course not…" He watched as her smile fade.

"Will, uh, will I get to see you? I mean, I don't know how things are going to go, but…"

"I'll be around. I mean, princess or not, you are a grown woman. You'll have more freedom than someone younger would."

"I thought I was extremely young compared too…"

"Well, yes, but you're not a child either… It's odd, how aging works for us. We get to about 20-21 and it slows so much that five years equals only one for us." He smiled. "But one is still considered able to think for oneself by the time they reach that age. If you truly wish to see me, you can simply come down to the docks whenever I make port there, which is quite often mind you." Her smile returned.

"Well, good… We'll be there soon. I suppose I should go get Tina to help me put on your gift."

"I didn't know you were planning to wear it…"

"Well, it is the most beautiful dress I own, is it not?" He nodded slightly.

"Well, alright then. Come into my cabin once you've finished dressing. I, uh, have another gift for you." She gave him a curious look, but didn't say anything, just nodded and walked away.

* * *

Jack was pacing about his cabin, waiting anxiously for Stephanie to stride in as if it were own, as she always did. He was beyond nervous. It had been a long time since he'd tried to woo a woman, and although he had a good feeling he'd already won her, he still had a bad feeling that he was moving too fast. It didn't help that she was so young, and he wasn't sure how everyone else would react… but, it was not like such lopsided matches were unheard of. Besides, the only opinions that really mattered were those of the king and queen, and they knew him well enough to know that he would be good for her… He sighed, glancing at the boxes on the table, one containing the necklace and earrings, the other containing a small and simple diamond ring. _Please don't reject, them Stephanie, please…_ He was so lost in his thoughts and his pacing that he jumped when he heard a knock on the door.

"Uh, come in, it's not locked milady." He watched as she walked in just like he had expected her too. She scowled at him.

"Milady? I thought we were past that, _captain_." He gave her a blank look before realizing what she was talking about.

"Oh, yes, sorry my dear. It wasn't purposeful. I'm, uh, just a bit nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Yes… see, as I said earlier, I have another gift for you, and I am again quite unsure of how you'll react to it."

"Oh, I see. Well, then, perhaps you should just give it to me and hope for the best." A hint of a smile graced her lips as she walked past him to sit down at his desk.

"Yes, maybe I should…" He took a deep breath and walked over to the desk as well, picking up the biggest box on top of it, his hands shaking nervously. Stephanie watched looking amused.

"What on earth could it be that has you so nervous, Jacky?" He winced slightly. Jacky was a pet name she'd taken to using whenever she felt like teasing him.

"Uh, well…" He sighed and came to stand in front of her. "Something to go with your current attire, actually." She looked down at the box in his hands, then back to meet his eyes.

"J-jewelry?" She suddenly sounded slightly nervous herself.

"Yes, my dear, jewelry…" He slowly opened the lid to the box. She stared into his eyes for a moment longer, then slowly brought hers down to look at the beautiful diamond and ruby studded contents of the box.

"Oh my…"

"Do you like them?"

"Like them? I love them! They're absolutely gorgeous, but…"

"What is it?"

"I can't except them, Jack."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I just… just can't." She seemed very flustered.

"I-I don't understand. I-I want you to have them. This sort of gift is not one that even a princess would wear unless it was given to her by someone very special." The words came out slowly as he tried to cipher her reaction. "And I want everyone to know that you're, uh, how would you put it? Taken?"

"Yes and I know. Such beautiful jewelry isn't worn lightly where I come from either, but that's just it. I'm not so sure I'm ready to give myself over just yet."

"Give yourself over? I'm afraid I still don't understand." She averted her eyes, not looking him in his.

"I, uh, I think I love you… no, I know I do. But that worries me. I don't want to… I don't want to be taken. I mean, even with Robbie, I was still free…" She tried to put what she was feeling into words. He was beginning to understand.

"You're afraid, then."

"No, not afraid." She looked indignant. "I just don't want to lose that freedom. I mean, I've already lost so much of that just being here, as a woman."

"So much… freedom?" He tried to fully grasp what she was saying.

"Yes. I don't like the idea of being confined to a dress for the rest of my life." She sounded almost angry now. He stared at her hard for a moment before it finally hit him.

"You don't want to be a, uh, 'house wife', so to speak. You want to keep the freedom that you had…"

"Yes! The thought of being little miss house wife/queen is absolutely revolting to me."

"Interesting choice of words…" She sent him a mild glare. He sighed and took the necklace out of the case. "I suppose I can understand that. But, the truth is, I wouldn't want you to be 'little miss house wife', as you so quaintly put it…" He held out his hand for her to take and led her over to a full length mirror standing in the far corner of his cabin, then handed her the earrings. "Because that is not what you are." He handed her the earrings and she put them in as he clasped the necklace around her neck. "And I wouldn't love you the way that I do if, in fact, you were anything but what you are." They stayed behind her and they both looked at the beautiful woman reflected in the mirror. The dress she wore was tied tightly in the front, clinging perfectly to every curve of her upper half, then flowing down freely to the ground from her hips. Her dark pink hair was piled up on top of her head with a loose strand or two falling about her face. Her normally hidden pointed ears were out in the open, proudly screaming the woman's elfin origins. Two golden earrings with teardrop shaped rubies were dangling from them daintily. The matching necklace rested on her neck delicately, studded with small diamonds and rubies. Stephanie bit her lip.

"And what am I exactly?"

"You are beautiful, and feisty, and dangerous, and sweet, and loving, and sassy, and… complicated, my dear Stephanie, you are complicated."

"Oh, am I now?" She turned to him, smirking slightly.

"Yes, you are. And, quite frankly, I wouldn't have you any other way… So, in short, you can have all the freedom you can manage to keep, and I won't say a word." She smiled.

"I don't believe it." His eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"You are, quite literally, giving me permission to simply be me." He stared at her for a moment, then chuckled.

"Yes, indeed, I am." They both looked up as they heard a knock at the door, and Tina's muffled voice saying that they had arrived at the palace. Stephanie sighed and took a step away from them, as they were awfully close.

"Awful pity." She smoothed out the front of her dress. "I suppose I should be going…" She began to head for the door, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Am I to understand that you are excepting my gift, then?"

"Yes, you are." His face lit up and he turned to walk back to his desk, picking up the other box, then walking back to her.

"Something for you to wear with anything; for you to always have on. So that there will never be a doubt as to whether you are taken." He opened the box. She smiled almost immediately and held out her hand for him to place the ring on it.

"Thank you so much. I never would have thought… I mean, Robbie would have never…" He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and effectively shutting her up.

"Yes, well then, princess. Seal it with a kiss, shall we?" She responded by pulling him in for one. They had not kissed since the trick she had played on him in her cabin, and this one was much different from that one. It was gentle and passionate, but short.

"Good enough?"

"Oh, yes, that'll do nicely." He released her. "I'll be around for the next few weeks because of the engine repairs. I'm usually here, even with the men working on it, so feel free to, um, visit anytime you like."

"Oh, I will, believe me." He nodded.

"Right then, off you go." She smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek before hurrying out of his cabin.

_**Stephanie will meet her grandparents in the next chapter. Should be fun… Review, please, I've had none for the past several chapters.**_


	37. The Palace

Chapter 37: The Palace

Stephanie was more than just a little amazed. She wasn't sure that she'd never been to a place that was quite so beautiful. And she wasn't even inside the palace yet! Just the landscape around it was enough to amaze her. The palace itself was just as she had imagined a Middle Ages castle to look like, with two different walls surrounding a large building in the middle, all made of stone and looking as though they had just been built. Every where she looked there was trees and grass and greenery. The sky looked so blue, the sun so bright, the trees so richly green, the snow capped mountains far off in the distance so intimidating and vibrant, she was positive she had stepped into a fairy tale of some sort. And it was so perfectly warm too, almost as though it was the beginning of spring.

"Princess Stephanie, I presume?" Stephanie heard a vaguely familiar voice ask as she got out of the horse and carriage that she'd been riding in. She turned to face the same man that she'd talked to all the way back in Robbie's lair.

"Yes, that's me, and you're Jason, correct?"

"Yes, milady, I'm Jason. The king and queen sent me to receive you as soon as they heard you'd finally arrived."

"I'm glad they did. It's kind of nice to see someone I've actually talked to before."

"I'm sure. You were awful young when you left here before, so I don't expect you to remember much at first." He smiled at her pleasantly. "Now, I was told to escort you straight to your grandparents, so we'd best get you to the throne room." He began leading her toward the palace.

"Do I have any reason to be nervous? I'm, uh, sure that Captain Jack will not hesitate to tell you later on that I am not quite what he expected…"

"Not what he expected?" He glanced at her curiously, but she didn't respond, and he decided not to push it. "No, I don't think you have any reason to be nervous. The king and queen are very kind people; they've never been known to judge people harshly, if that is what you mean…" She still looked nervous. He tried to calm her. "You do look quite lovely, milady. That dress is stunning. If you don't mind my asking, where did you get such lovely jewelry from?"

"It was a gift from a friend." She answered a little too quickly.

"A friend?"

"Yes, a friend. I'll explain when we talk to my grandparents." He wanted to protest, but didn't want to push it, as she was already on edge. They lapsed into a slightly awkward silence.

* * *

Sportacus was annoyed more than anything else by now. He'd been treated worse before; his captives seemed to be almost civilized. He still wasn't even sure what they wanted from him, though. He couldn't bring himself to believe they would go through all the trouble of capturing him for nothing. What did they want from him, though? They hadn't told him as of yet, and it was beginning to get ridiculous. How long were they going to keep playing games? How long could they afford to? Had his parents realized he was missing? What was going on with Stephanie? Had she kept her promise? Had _she_ realized he was missing? All of these questions continued to swim around his mind, driving him crazy because he simply didn't know. Though, the more he thought about the last few, the more he came to realize that it was highly unlikely. She'd been acting so terrible when he'd left, and he had never been entirely sure that she would listen to him in the first place. He'd simply decided to make her promise and hoped for the best. She probably hadn't realized he was missing. Either that, or she probably didn't care and neither of those were particularly pleasant thoughts…

He took a deep breath and tried to focus on something else. He began to look around the room he was in. He'd been moved around almost nonstop for the first few days, when they had first brought him to their palace. It was as though they were stalling or improvising; like they hadn't quite expected to find him as quickly as they had, and they were trying to figure out what to do next. Of course, Josiah had made it seem as though it should have been simpler than his goons had made it, but he was so arrogant he could have easily been boasting. There was a plain, but fairly comfortable bed on the far side of the room, and a door directly across from it leading into a small bathroom, but other than that the room was extremely plain. Still, it was far nicer than a dungeon jail cell, so he certainly wasn't complaining.

_I wonder how long they plan to keep me in here…_ The door opened just as the thought crossed his mind, and he looked up to see the same to brutes that always came for him walking into the room. He stood up, expecting to be taken somewhere else, but they didn't cross the room. Instead, they posted on either side of the door like body guards, making way for a beautiful, elaborately dressed woman with bright red hair. She signaled for the brutes to relax before placing a disarming smile on her face and walking towards a completely dumbfounded Sportacus.

"Well, hello there." He just stared at her, trying to make his brain start working again. She seemed amused. "They told me you have a sharp tongue on you, but from what I'm seeing now, I can hardly believe that to be true."

"I, uh, I-I mean… W-who are you?" He stuttered stupidly.

"Rather blunt, are we? Well, I certainly don't mind that. My name is Marina. My father is, uh, the one in charge, so to speak. The one who wanted you here in the first place." She continued to smile at him, disarming and almost flirtatious.

"Your father? The one in charge? I don't understand; w-why am I meeting you before I meet him?"

"Oh, I don't know, honestly." She shrugged, her voice airy. "He's so busy all the time, and I thought you might like some better company." She gestured towards the guards standing at the door and rolled her eyes almost comically.

"Better… company?" She nodded as he sat back down on the bed.

"This displeases you. Am I not better company?" She put on an oddly attractive pouty face, walking over to sit next to him on the bed… _Right_ _next_ to him.

"Uh, infinitely better, I'm sure, but…" What was wrong with him? He felt like a school boy with a crush on an older girl. Marina was so beautiful, her smile so disarming, her perfume-like scent so intoxicating…

"But?" She questioned, and he didn't respond immediately. "I could leave if you'd like, I mean." She frowned, and made as if to get up, but he boldly brought his hand up, pulling her back down.

"No! I-I mean, please stay." And she was smiling again, practically sitting on top of him now…

* * *

Stephanie's smile started to fade into a grimace as an odd feeling began to take hold of her. She was inside the palace now, walking slowly through its many winding hallways alongside Jason, and the grimace deepened as the feeling became stronger. She stopped abruptly and, on some strange instinct, began automatically concentrating pink energy into her hands, as if half expecting an enemy to suddenly jump out at her. Jason stopped as soon as he realized she was no longer next to him, and turned around in surprise.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"N-nothing. I mean, I-I don't know. I just have a feeling…"

"A feeling?"

"Yes, a bad one, as if…"

"As if what, milady?"

"As if… Oh, I don't know!" She was frustrated now, and the pink energy in her hands flared as she yelled at him.

"Ok, ok, just calm down." He was watching her carefully now, wary. "Try to explain."

"I…" She paused and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "It's like I'm getting the feeling from somewhere else. Or, from some_one_ else…"

"From someone else?" He looked at her curiously. "That sounds like the kind of warning we'd get if someone was in trouble, but-"

"Yes!" She half squealed. "Yes, that's exactly what the feeling is, except stronger. _A lot_ stronger. As if another hero pushed their feeling off on me, and it triggered mine maybe?" She added the maybe on after a short pause, and it sounded more like a question.

"Pushed their… well, that's unusual, to say the least."

"Yes, I know." She tried to keep her voice down and clear her head as she began to vaguely remember Robbie telling her something about this particular 'feeling'. "I know it never happens, but I'm feeling it now. Or, I was a moment ago." Another deep breath and she was in control again, and the pink energy flaring up around her hands extinguished itself. He took a step closer now, hoping she was alright.

"You'll, uh, have to forgive me for being forward, milady, but it's very unusual for a woman to get such feelings at all."

"Yes, I know that too. The Captain told me all about how things work here." She grimaced again, in distaste this time, unable to hold it back. "I suppose I should go ahead and warn you now that there is nothing usual about me at all. I don't know why, but I have all my father's abilities. It's not something I can help, as I'm sure you noticed, it's just my natural reaction. I'll try not to let it happen again." He stared at her blankly.

"Forgive me, I don't mean to stare, it's just… Well, if what you say is true, then I'm sure I can allow for instances such as that every now and then." He averted his eyes. She was fully indignant now, but she tried not to show it.

"Yes, well, I'm alright now, so let's get to the throne room, shall we?" She smoothed out her dress and put on an almost arrogant air, striding gracefully past him…

* * *

"I wonder if I couldn't get you a room that's a little less dreary." Marina took her eyes of Sportacus just long enough to look around the room. "I mean, father probably doesn't care at this point, but if I asked him…" She sounded as though she may be offering…

"Why do you care?" Sportacus was suspicious now. "I mean, why would you bother?"

"Why shouldn't I? Because I can, because I want to. Do I need a real reason? This palace is my home as much as it is fathers, is it not?"

"Do you know what your father wants with me?"

"No, I honestly don't. At first I thought he wanted to start a war or something, but if that were true you'd be dead by now." She answered off handedly. He grimaced.

"Oh, how comforting."

"I said you'd _already_ be dead, darling, not that he was _going_ to kill you. He wants you alive and well for something, I just don't know what. I'm sure I could find out, though, he'd tell me if I asked."

"I get the feeling he'd do anything if you asked it."

"Probably." She chuckled. "Including treat you a little better." Her offer was obvious this time. "I may have to do a bit of begging for that, but it could be done…"

"What would you want in return?"

"What makes you think I would want something in return?" She chuckled when he gave her a pointed look. "Hmhm, all I would ask is that you'd consider, uhm, sticking around. No matter what father says…" She smiled and leaned forward, placing a kiss on his lips. He stiffened, and she broke it before he could respond in any way. "I'll be back tomorrow. Just think about it, ok darling?" And with that, she left, leaving him alone with his suddenly very jumbled thoughts.

* * *

"Perhaps we should make this a bit more private, dear." Stephanie heard the queen suggest, though she was talking quietly to her husband beside her. "Our poor Stephanie seems a bit overwhelmed."

"Indeed she does… I suppose we could simply clear everyone out of here for the time being?" It was more of a question than a statement, and the queen nodded her agreement. He stood up and addressed the whole room in a booming voice. "Let us talk to the princess alone for the time being." Stephanie watched as the room cleared, first of what she assumed to be members of the royal court, and then the guards; they were a bit more hesitant, but the king insisted, so they left quietly also. The king and queen came over to Stephanie, and she suddenly felt much less intimidated. Standing right in front of them she was able to see graying hair and a few (if only a very few) kindly wrinkles, and they seemed more like grandparents.

"You can relax now, dear. You have nothing to worry about when it's just us." The queen (Stephanie was starting to think of her as 'grandma' by now), smiled kindly. She was a small, but sturdy woman, with a kind face and hair a lighter shade of pink. "I suppose we should get the proper introductions over with first. My name is Clarice, though to you I suppose I'll simply be 'grandma'." Stephanie smiled and nodded.

"Grandma. Saying that might take some getting used to. My mother's parents died just after I was born, and I'm used to treating my uncle like he were my grandfather."

"Ah, Milford Meanswell. A very good man. You're lucky to be so close to him."

"You know Uncle Milford?"

"Yes, we know you're uncle." The king stepped forward now. He was tall and big with a booming voice, but he seemed to be a fairly jolly sort of person. Or, maybe flamboyant was a better word; she couldn't decide. "But that's a conversation for another time. I'm Alexander," he smiled warmly, "grandfather or papa to you, obviously."

"Papa. Well, if we're going to make proper introductions, I'm Stephanie Meanswell. I like Steph or Pinkie better though…"

"Pinkie?"

"Uh, yes, a nickname I earned because of my hair." She blushed. "I suppose to you it's perfectly normal, but to my human friends it was really odd." The queen smiled.

"Well, it may have been odd there, but it is indeed normal here. Such a lovely shade of pink…" She stepped closer, examining the necklace around Stephanie's neck. "Where did you get this?"

"Oh, uh, well… Captain Jack gave it to me, actually."

"Jack gave it to you? Do you know who this belonged to?"

"No, actually, he never told me. He just insisted that I take it, along with this," she held up her hand with the ring on it, "to show that I'm, well, his."

"His? As in, his lover?" The queen looked slightly horrified.

"No! Oh, no, not even close. We spent a lot of time together on the way here, that's all…" Stephanie quickly protested.

"Well, alright. If you say so." The queen looked slightly suspicious, but said nothing more about it. "Anyways, I'm sure you're a bit tired after the long trip over here. Jason, taker her to her chambers so she can rest a bit before supper."

"Yes, your highness." He turned to Stephanie and ushered her out of the throne room. "Right this way, milady."

_**Alright, things are going to come to a headway here soon. I'm honestly having fun writing all of this…**_

_**Review, please. **_


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